NATALIE MERCHANT, Red Butte Garden Amphitheater, Aug. 4
While some of those lucky enough to be at Natalie Merchant's sold-out performance at the Red Butte Garden outdoor amphitheater Wednesday night may have been hoping for a traipse through myriad alt-rock hits of Merchant-era 10,000 Maniacs, what they got instead was far more interesting.
That was an invitation into the lush soundscape of Merchant's newest record, "Leave Your Sleep," her first studio album in seven years.
The 26 song, two-disc sonic tome draws inspiration from Merchant's new role as a mother (she has a 6-year-old daughter), and the lyrics are all taken from poems written for children.
In the hands of some, this approach would have trouble escaping the label of contrivance, but Merchant's amazing voice, which sounds better than ever, and musical score make a vivid, rich and very enjoyable escape.
Thunderstorms and lightning rolling across the Salt Lake Valley briefly drenched Salt Lake's east bench and delayed the start of the show. Red Butte staff kept the gates closed until the weather lightened, and Merchant took the stage about 30 minutes late. The wait, however, was well worth it.
Opening with the album's first track, "Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience" (written by 20th century Cornish poet Charles Causley), Merchant captivated the 3,000 in attendance with her first note.
While the songs on the new record share their lyrical basis in poetry, the music wanders a map that is quintessentially American. Blues, ragtime, bluegrass and folk stylings made appearances throughout the evening as Merchant and her six (sometimes seven) piece band soldiered through the intermittently blustery weather.
The 46-year-old Merchant didn't forget the path that led her to her icon status, though, and treated the crowd to a handful of Maniacs tunes and a few cuts from previous solo albums during the encore segment of the evening.
Merchant is two dates into an end-of-summer U.S. tour in support of her new album.
e-mail: araymond@desnews.com