Natalie Merchant

I listen to a different CD each day throughout my long drives during work. Today, I listened to 10,000 Maniac's In My Tribe. A very mellow and at times upbeat mix of sounds, but ultimately, the CD is driven by the voice of Natalie Merchant. There's just something mesmerizing about her voice... It's very different than other female voices: deeper but feminine, strong with range. Her voice is unique like Tracy Chapman's, but I definitely prefer Natalie's sound.

I think if I could adopt any singer's voice (if I had a wish to somehow to trade my lack of singing talents with another person), I would definitely pick Natalie Merchant. It would be fun to take a person with such a ridiculous high-to-low range, but I feel like my personality suits more of Natalie's mellow and emotional voice.

If you could adopt any singer's voice, who's would you choose?

Lately, I've been obsessed even with her hits like "Carnival" (which are actually in my profile right now) and "Kind and Generous," but she also has other amazing songs, much that I like on her MTV Unplugged CD. Check it out. Here are lyrics from "These Are Days:"

These are the days
These are days you’ll remember
Never before and never since, I promise
Will the whole world be warm as this
And as you feel it,
You’ll know it’s true
That you are blessed and lucky
It’s true that you
Are touched by something
That will grow and bloom in you

These are days that you’ll remember
When May is rushing over you
With desire to be part of the miracles
You see in every hour
You’ll know it’s true
That you are blessed and lucky
It’s true that you are touched
By something that will grow and bloom in you

These are days
These are the days you might fill
With laughter until you break
These days you might feel
A shaft of light
Make its way across your face
And when you do
Then you’ll know how it was meant to be
See the signs and know their meaning
It's true
Then you’ll know how it was meant to be
Hear the signs and know they’re speaking
To you, to you