(Elektra)
Natalie Merchant is an artist known for her unique and eclectic blend of pop and acoustic genres, and with her third studio album she shows her continuing growth and expression as a solo artist.
covers new ground for Merchant, allowing her to express darker, more emotional themes while remaining true to her spirit. The album mixes Merchant's distinctive vocal style with an assortment of internationally flavored and bluesy sounds.
The album opens with \The House is On Fire,"" a song laced with warnings of violence and destruction, somewhat ironic (as the artist has admitted) given recent events. The vocals are accompanied by Arabic melodies inspired by Om Kalsoum of Egypt, of whom Merchant is a big fan, which give a spice to the song that is unusual for Western artists but a pleasant deviation from the norm.
In ""Saint Judas,"" perhaps the darkest track on the album, Merchant sings about the evil racism breeds. Written in response to a photographic exhibit about the history of lynching, the song speaks about the hypocrisy of those who would put on their Sunday best in order to do the devil's work. It is a powerful song, made more so because Merchant is accompanied by Mavis Staples, a Civil Rights activist who once sang alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Another important song on the album is ""Tell Yourself."" Always conscious of her audience, Merchant addresses this song to her younger female fans who may be insecure about their physical appearances in a time when there is more pressure than ever to be thin and beautiful. She urges those with low self-esteem to give themselves a chance to discover the beauty within and not to judge themselves too harshly. As the old adage says, one must be beautiful inside in order to be truly beautiful outside.
This album is a step in a different direction from her two previous records. Dealing with darker and more intense themes and sprinkled with Middle Eastern, Italian and Spanish melodies, Merchant once again proves herself to be a strong female voice in a male-dominated industry. With dedicated to the victims of Sept. 11, Merchant provides a sometimes bleak, sometimes haunting, sometimes optimistic but always thoroughly entertaining work in a time when any distraction from current events is welcome.
(Lava/Atlantic)
'Tis the season for holiday cheer, MTV-style. Hence, the compilation of evolved into creation, especially after this tumultuous year.
It's also the season for ""Gucci,"" ""Tiffany"" and ""champagne"" according to Willa Ford.
For Jimmy Fallon, 'tis also the season for ""hand-me-down snowsuits"" and mucous ""dripping"" from noses.
Besides Ford and Fallon, expect to hear a contribution to the yuletide from Weezer, P.O.D., Christina Aguilera, 'NSync and Blink-182, as well as TRL debutants such as Bif Naked and Angela Via.
Before cringing (if at all) at any of the artists highlighted, it is the concept behind that is, perhaps, uplifting.
Uplifting in the sense of spreading holiday spirit in spite of a difficult quarter year.
Christina Aguilera's rendition of ""Angels We Have Heard On High"" is enough for anyone to sing along in a soprano voice despite the years elapsed since eighth-grade chorus. Aguilera gives a makeover to the old favorite for the better.
Speaking of makeovers, Sugar Ray emulates the Beach Boys stylistically in ""Little Saint Nick."" The similarities are uncanny.
""It's time to be nice to the people who you can't stand all year,"" Blink-182 declares in ""I Won't be Home for Christmas."" A good lesson in order to receive materialistic compensation from Saint Nick, as Simple Plan and Willa Ford delineate precisely in their respective songs.
Simple Plan's ""My Christmas List"" has a materialistic spin like Ford's ""Santa Baby (Gimme Gimme Gimme),"" but ""Gucci"" and ""Tiffany"" supplant ""eskimo pies,"" ""big screen TVs"" and ""cars."" This insatiable attitude of the receiving end of gift-giving prevails in these two songs.
Weezer croons about a love gone sour in ""The Christmas Song,"" particularly with the lyric ""chilling my spirits with laughter and mirth"" embedded with the wailing guitar work that is a trademark for the band.
P.O.D. puts a newer spin on faith with ""Rock the Party."" The fervent electricity with vibrating guitar stings and lyrics to boot can propel anyone into thy kingdom come.
""Snowball"" has a ""Saturday Night Live"" charm. At first glance, ""Snowball"" seems like material deriving directly from ""SNL."" Maybe it's because Fallon narrates the unfolding activities of a ""snow day"" as a battlefield by ""jumping over a snowman"" along with ""15 snowballs"" heading his way. Included in this narration are intrinsic details such as ""hand-me-down snowsuits"" and ""snot dripping from [his] nose.""
Little T and One Track Mike's ""Snow Angel"" indulges the listener by ""gracefully whispering the ingredients of a miracle"" with creative lyrics and gentle instrumentation resembling snowflakes falling.
Wrapping up this delicious repertoire is the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's ""Christmas Canon."" Pachelbel's ""Canon in D""-inspired tune encapsulates the spirit of the season replete with children singing and a poetic score.
Hark! is an eclectic treat perfect for a stocking stuffer.
