Motherland

Teaming up with T-Bone Burnett was a good, healthy move for Natalie Merchant. She had begun to sink into vaguely tuneless singer / songwriter clichés with her second solo album, Ophelia, and the sag in artistic quality was notable, which may have been why she bought time with a live album in 1999.

Burnett helps restore some musical backbone to her music on Motherland, even if the record is hardly a gritty affair (apart from Merchant's voice, which seems to have deepened and grown tougher since the last time out). Still, there's some character within the sound; atmospheric, blues post-folk-rock. Music that breathes while retaining Merchant's signature sound. Upon first listen, none of the songs announce themselves, yet it all sticks together, and repeated plays reveal Motherland as a subtle grower that will satisfy her cult following.
4 / 5 All Music Guide.