Vh1 Storytellers: Natalie Merchant DVD Review:

VH1 Storytellers is one of the greatest creations that fans of music have seen in a long time. Since not all of us are able to go to the concerts of the bands we love, or if we do it ends up being in a large stadium and we are lucky to be able to see the performers on the large screens above the stage, VH1 has provided an intimate performance we can view from the comfort of our own homes. Storytellers, which began in 1996, also has the unique element in that they encourage the performers to speak about their music a great deal in between songs.

This Storytellers DVD is Natalie Merchant, who has developed in her solo career after branching away from 10,000 Maniacs in 1995 to release Tigerlily. Bringing together a collective body of work, both solo and collaborative, Merchant performs an intimate concert on Storyteller. Filmed on September 14th, 1998 at the Manhattan Center in New York, Merchant explains the meaning behind songs, some of which are so emotional to her that she is nearly brought to tears, while others are rather one-dimensional. Regardless, though, there is no doubt that Merchant truly loves what she does for a living, and it comes through in her performance.

There is a free spirit feeling about the way Merchant speaks on stage, which is somewhat disarming at first, but by the end of the program it is easy to get used to. None of that matters anyways as soon as she begins to sing. Merchant has a distinct voice which has been around long enough to be recognizable by most anyone. Although I wouldn’t recommend that viewers use the music only function, which is under special features, after the first viewing it may suite your personal needs better. Fans of Merchant will love this performance, and those who haven’t listened to her before might find that it is a good DVD to have playing in the background of a dinner party.

The DVD has two bonus tracks under special features, although one is actually just an extended track. The other one, however, is quite good. Some of the highlight songs on the DVD include “Wonder”, “Carnival”, and “These are the Days”.



Ryan Izay