Natalie Merchant - Ophelia
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Free Music Notes for Ophelia
Free Music Review: One solid album
Hit: 5 Stars
Ophelia is Natalie Merchant's second solo album, and my favorite. The music is rich in cellos, violins, violas, and has a lot of guitars. There is even an instrumental version of the song Ophelia, played by an orchestra. The lyrics on this album are straightforward, but they never sound preachy to me. They are not as intricate as on her first album, which only makes them clearer, not less poetic. She talks about loss, sorrow and despair, but she also talks about gratefulness, hope and seeing things differently.
Personally, I like the song "Kind & generous", it seems like an honest song by the artist, but I would really have doubts about her honesty if half the songs on the album would be like that one; simple, catchy and upbeat. I still sing to it without shame.
The album's sleeve is supposed to be related to a 22 minutes movie where Natalie plays "Ophelia", but sadly, internet searches reveals it nowhere to be found! The pictures are also an illustration of the song "Ophelia", still, it is one strange sleeve.
Ophelia is also a chance to discover a very special voice: Karen Perris of "The innocence misson", as she sings on two of the tracks.
Free Music Review: Creative, spellbinding, mysterious, deep, angelic, beautiful
Hit: 5 Stars
I'm listening to this cd right now while I'm writing this review. I must say that Natalie Merchant is both musical and creatively driven. At first, I heard her Tigerlily and I really didn't care for it. She sounded like another Joni Mitchell, but when I heard her new single, 'Kind and Generous', I immeditely got off the couch and purchased the cd (I wanted the single, but I couldn't find one, so I had to get the cd). Let me just tell you, I don't regret it. My all time favorites are 'Ophelia', 'My Skin', 'Thick as Thieves' and 'Effigy'. 'My Skin' is so beautiful, that it actually inspired me to write my fifth novel. The piano music is so melodramatic with the vocals that it just made me enchanted. Nobody has done that except Sarah McLachlan. The quiet story makes the victim in the story seem so real. I have often sang this song to my friends and they both agree that it is beautifully done. My favorite part is 'I need the darkness, the sweetness, the sadness, the weakness, I need this.' 'Well, is it dark enough, can you see me, can you reach me, oh I'm leaving.' Please, people, purchase this! You will not regret it!!Free Music Review: Beautiful!
Hit: 5 Stars
"Frozen Charlotte" made me weep. Karen Peris' vocals complimented Miss Merchant's wonderfully. The "How long" "I don't know, but wait for me" chorus between Miss Merchant and Miss Peris haunted me long after the C.D. finished. After I listened to "My Skin" I asked myself what I needed. Did I need the darkness and the sweetness too? For those of you who were unhappy with the photos of Miss Merchant, please listen to the title track once more. Each photo of Miss Merchant is an "Effigy" (see the connection?) of an "Ophelia" character. "Thank You" is VERY unlike Natalie Merchant, with simplistic and repetitive lyrics. I think the ideas and messages behind the song are pretty simple, too. There are only so many words to convey one's gratitude, and I think Miss Merchant pretty much covered that ground. I am so pleased with this album. I purchased it the very day the album was released and it still remains a favorite. Miss Merchant's music, with and without 10K Maniacs, has been the most important part of my musical collections.Free Music Review: Utterly Beautiful
Hit: 5 Stars
I bought this CD yesterday and am glad that I did. I have heard "Kind & Generous" on the radio and thought, "that was a catchy song." As soon as I heard the first notes and lyrics to "Ophelia," I was hooked. "Life Is Sweet" is a good song but a little repetitive at the end. I guess the thing I like about this CD is the chord progressions on it. On "Ophelia" the progressions are unexpected. Overall, it's just a great album. I suffer from depression so, I like this soothing music with it's beautiful piano and orchestration. To those of you who gave it 1 out of 5 stars, it is something for the soul to ponder over, it is not one of those albums that every song is a radio single. I get the feeling that when Natalie wrote the songs, she had something to say and she was not being egotistical at all, but rather subtly telling us that everything was going to be ok. I think my favorite song is "King Of May" because of her beautiful voice and the lyrics. Just buy this and don't even bother to read any of the 1 out of 5 star reviews as they all are wrong.
Free Music Review: "Gloomy"? I think not!
Hit: 5 Stars
Critics or other music listeners who dismiss this album as "gloomy" or "overly-serious" or horribly short-sighted. Ms. Merchant has produced a true "album", meaning that the whole is far more than the sum of it's songs, which alone are worth the cost of admittance. From the opening song through closing "prayer", we are given a musical mural w/ songs of despair, love, loss, gain, hope, sin, and salvation. It's all there! The full gammit of the human experience! But the music is hardly pretentious; it is intimate, sometimes too much so. How can anyone hear "The Living" and not have SOME reaction? The overall message of "Ophelia" is to embrace life "in spite of the misery". "Life Is Sweet", "Break Your Heart", and "When They Ring The Golden Bells" are guaranteed to boost your spirit regardless of how low they are. Keep in mind this album was meant to accompany the short film "Ophelia". Much of the album makes more sense and has deeper meaning after you see the film.