Natalie Merchant's next studio album, The House Carpenter's Daughter, will be a collection of folk covers, issued through her own independent record label, Myth America. The disc will be released through her Web site (nataliemerchant.com) on June 1st, with a retail release to follow on July 1st.

"This is the first completely independent release of mine since the early days of 10,000 Maniacs," Merchant says. "I'm very excited and proud." The House Carpenter's Daughter is Merchant's first recording since the fulfillment of her contract with Elektra after seventeen years as part of 10,000 Maniacs and a solo artist. After departing the band in 1994, Merchant issued three studio albums and a live set, her most recent release being 2001's Motherland.

The self-funded Daughter will feature folk classics including "Sally Ann," "Which Side Are You On?," "Weeping Pilgrim," "Soldier, Soldier," "Owensboro," and "Down on Penny's Farm." Merchant began recording the album around the time of her 2002 summer tour with Wilco; she had previously appeared on the band's Mermaid Avenue, an collaborative interpretation of Woody Guthrie lyrics with Billy Bragg.

"One of the many reasons Natalie is so cool is that she's willing to cast off all the trappings of superstardom and record, produce and release this thing without any help from anyone," says Gary Smith, Merchant's manager and the general manager of Myth America. "I can imagine nothing more exciting than working on a project of this magnitude without the usual complications of corporate involvement."

In related news, Merchant helped Rhino Records put together a 10,000 Maniacs double-disc retrospective of hits and rarities expected this summer.

JOHN D. LUERSSEN
(May 13, 2003)