Within that period of time, Merchant slowly complied the songs that would eventually make up the 2-CD album "Leave Your Sleep." The concept of the album is to put various poetry to music so Merchant could bring the poetry "to life" for her daughter. And whatever you say about the album or the songs, everything is meticulously made from the 80 page hardcover book to each song dense with exotic instrumentation.
One of its greatest strengths (and possibly its greatest weakness) is the diverseness of the songs. "Leave Your Sleep" covers pretty much all of the genres from Beatlesesque pop ("It Makes A Change") to folksy ("Calico Pie") and something more familiar to Merchant's style ("Griselda"). This helps maintain the listener's interest through the almost two hours of music, but hardcore Merchant fans probably wanted something less "House Carpenter's Daughter" and more in the vein of "Tigerlily."
"Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience" might have been groomed to be the single of the album, if it weren't for the cumbersome title, lengthiness, and the fact this album is not aimed at the current trends of bubblegum pop. The sheer wealth of woodwinds, acoustic guitars, strings, and even accordians account for that.
I have always been a fan of Merchant's "Motherland," her last non-cover album in 2001, and I am a little disappointed that she released what it is essentially a cover album, but the amount of effort involved (not to mention the number of musicians) is breathtaking and rewarding to the listener willing to pick up the album.
I hope that it will not be another seven years before we hear from the ever talented Natalie Merchant. B+
Appendix: iTunes has an exclusive bonus track "Mother Hubbard." (You're supposed to be above things like this, Natalie!)
