I'm a big Natalie Merchant fan. I've seen her live a few times and it's always different. I have all her solo albums, and the ones with 10,000 Maniacs. As the first responder above said, she is an acquired taste. Many of her albums are a little dark (Motherland) but worth buying. Once you listen, you will likely fall under her spell. She had a big gap between albums, but I have never been disappointed by any of her material and look forward to the next one.
Natalie Merchant - Leave Your Sleep
Listened to this fine cd all the way thru last night. Almost two hours of eclectic, well played and well produced songs from around the world, apparently children's poems. Wish I had seen this tour. I missed it here in Chicago when she played - think it was a smaller venue. Highly recommended!