by: Kevin D. Thompson (page: 1J)

Natalie Merchant makes one thing perfectly clear: She doesn't like to talk about her much-celebrated departure from 10,000 Maniacs three years ago. But the subject is unavoidable.

"The split was very subdued, very somber and very natural," says the group's former lead singer in a whispery tone. "I just felt my relationship with the band had run its course. There weren't any deep-rooted personal issues involved. It's history."

Since leaving the popular folk/pop band after a 12-year stint, the painfully shy Merchant proved she wasn't a maniac for going solo.

Her Tigerlily CD, released last July, has sold over 2 million copies and spawned such chart-topping singles as Carnival and Wonder. The double platinum CD also spent 10 consecutive months in the Top 40 on Billboard's 200-album chart. And Merchant just completed a grueling, 11-month international solo tour with her six-piece band that took her across Europe.

Now the 32-year-old singer/songwriter will open for Sting as he starts his North American tour at the Coral Sky Amphitheater in Palm Beach County on Friday.

So what do her ex-bandmates think of Merchant's success?

She doesn't really know, since she doesn't see or speak to them. "That doesn't really bother me at all," the queen of college rock says nonchalantly. "I played in Buffalo recently and some of them came. I'm not opposed to talking to them, but I think it's natural that I would want some space and that they would want some space. If you got divorced from your wife and re-married and had some beautiful children, do you think you'd get a congratulations card from your ex-wife?"

Merchant, however, is a bit surprised Tigerlily has done well. During her Maniacs days, Merchant, an unabashed '90s flower child, was known for writing politically charged message songs and wearing dowdy-looking house dresses. Tigerlily, though, is more adult-sounding and personal, featuring songs about her grandparents (Beloved Wife), close buddy River Phoenix (River) and a handicapped girl dealing with the world (Wonder).

In short, the CD often recalls Joni Mitchell or Cowboy Junkies. "It's a very subtle record, and I thought it would just appeal to a certain amount of people," she says. "But I didn't think it would have three Top 10 singles."

Tigerlily, which the serious-minded Merchant wrote, produced and financed, has received mixed reviews. The Wall Street Journal called it a "gem." But Rolling Stone panned Merchant's "lite-rock arrangements."

"Very approachable"

Music Melinda Newman, Billboard's senior talent editor, believes Merchant recorded a solid debut CD. "She changed a little bit in terms of using different rhythms," notes Newman, who writes a weekly music column called The Beat, "but her music is very approachable. She has a beautiful voice that is very inviting and very warm."

Despite the so-so reviews, Merchant has wowed audiences overseas - particularly in Europe. "It was pretty fascinating to see how people responded," she says. "I've always been told that France is a difficult market - especially for Americans. But I had no problem appealing or connecting with them. It was pretty magical, actually, because I don't speak French too well. It may be cliche, but music does transcend language barriers."

Touring has become a way of life for Merchant. She started singing with the Maniacs as a wide-eyed 16-year-old. "It was a bit unusual waking up in a different city every day," recalls Merchant, "but you can accept anything as normal after awhile. A lot of times I didn't know where I was when I woke up."

Performing with Sting, who also left a popular band (The Police) at the height of its fame, has been a great learning experience. "I'm envious of him," says Merchant, laughing for a change. "He's capable of playing an instrument and singing at the same time very fluidly. I always feel like when I play the piano and sing, something suffers. He's a very well integrated musician."

Merchant, whose musical influences include African-American divas Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone and folk/rock sirens Sandy Denny and June Tabor, has successfully carved her own distinct identity. But she says audiences often yearn to hear the old Maniacs tunes.

"They seem split at this point," she sighs. "I've surpassed the sales of 10,000 Maniacs, so I have a larger audience, but I'm sure there are some people who loved the Maniacs, but didn't love this record. To keep everyone happy, we play a selection of three or four Maniacs songs with a pretty radical re-arrangement."

When Merchant was ready to assemble her own band, she was very selective. It's hard for the singer to say exactly what she was looking for, but she knew she had to find musicians who had an appealing style.

"They're really good at adapting my style and building on it," explains Merchant. "Any time you play music with a new group of people, there's a totally different energy. This group is a lot younger. I went from being the youngest by about six years to the oldest. And it's funny, if this band wasn't fronted by me, it would lean toward R&B or funk, which is very different from the 10,000 Maniacs."

Merchant has come a long way from her poor upbringing in Jamestown, N.Y. She and her three sisters were raised by her mother, Anne, who toiled as a secretary and house painter. (Merchant's parents divorced when she was 7.) Money was so tight, Merchant's grandmother used to hand-make clothes for her Barbie doll.

Anne later remarried and the Merchant girls weren't allowed to watch TV. Instead, they were encouraged to read and play music. Merchant began reading everything she could get her hands on and still does to this day. "I tend to read a lot for information," says Merchant, who can talk extensively about everyone from Anne Frank to the Dalai Lama. "I don't read much fiction. I like to read history. Just about anything fascinates me. I don't discriminate."

Growing up, Merchant would also go to local thrift stores and buy old magazines, gowns and cotton dresses from a long-gone era. She loved to draw and intended to go to art school. Those plans were shelved when she began singing in bars with four guys she met at a party. They later became 10,000 Maniacs.

"Emotional" Songs

In addition to reading and singing, Merchant also began keeping a journal. She would write about anything: her dreams, events she read about in the newspaper, first drafts of letters and conversations she wanted to have with people, but didn't have the nerve. Writing the journals - which number about 50 and when stacked together stand as tall as the 5-foot, 1-inch Merchant - was a welcome exercise. Growing up, she didn't have many friends, was slightly overweight and wore a pixie haircut. "It was the whole shy girl syndrome," she says quietly, sounding a bit uncomfortable. "Shy girls keep journals, and I wrote about things I needed to clarify."

Much of that writing would come in handy as Merchant grew into a talented, thought-provoking, political songwriter. With the Maniacs, she wrote socially conscious songs about everything from teenage pregnancy to Vietnam.