by: Anni Layne

Natalie Merchant has spent nearly half of her 34 years dazzling the music world with soft and summery musings.

On May 19 the former voice of the 10,000 Maniacs will add a new dimension to her songwriting repertoire with Ophelia, the follow-up to her 1995 triple-platinum debut, Tigerlily. [note from the MBML head librarian: Tigerlily was certified in April 1998 as quadruple-platinum, meaning 4 million copies sold in the U.S.]

Deviating from the thin arrangements previously used to accentuate Merchant's voice, Ophelia will feature a lavish orchestra, keyboards and horns as well as surprising duets with N'Dea Davenport formerly of Brand New Heavies, Tibetan devotional singer Yungchen Llhamo and Karen Peris of Innocence Mission.

Merchant will also bring her storytelling to the screen with a companion film for the album. Directors Mark Seliger and Fred Woodward worked on the project with Merchant, who tapped hidden talents in theater, dance, costume design and script-writing.

In the mock documentary Ophelia, Merchant plays seven characters speaking in foreign tongues -- all of whom represent moods or personalities on the album. A spokesman for Merchant said she has not yet decided how or when to release the 22-minute film.

Before saddling up with more than 30 other female artists on this year's Lilith Fair Merchant will debut some material on May 2 during the "Tonight Show with David Letterman." [note from the MBML head librarian: Natalie will be on Saturday Night Live on May 2nd, not David Letterman. She will be on David Letterman on May 18th.]

That appearance follows on the heels of a presentation Merchant made in her native Jamestown, N.Y. on April 17. The hometown hero donated an undisclosed amount of money to the local YMCA and YWCA as well as the Boys and Girls Club, where she handed out autographs, CDs and T-shirts to a crowd of 200 young fans.