Natalie Merchant - Tell Yourself

Natalie Merchant began her musical career at age 17 with 10,000 Maniacs and quickly became the artistic influence in the group. After a string of successful albums, she left 10,000 Maniacs at what appeared to be the height of their popularity to begin her solo career.

Her first two albums, Tigerlily and Ophelia were very successful with the albums going to #13 and #8, respectively, on the Billboard 200 chart. It took 3 years before she released another studio album, Motherland. This time she teamed up with T-Bone Burnett and his influence seemed to add a grittier, edgier element to album. In 2003, she released the album, The House Carpenter's Daughter, which contained traditional and contemporary folk music.

Since then she has not released a new studio album and focused on her family and many charity and recording with other artists, like BeauSoleil, David Byrne’s Imelda Marcos life album and joining Cowboy Junkies to record a song for their 20th year anniversary release of The Trinity Sessions. The good news for fans is that earlier this year, she returned the studio to record a new album of her original songs.

Tell Yourself is great song with a great message off her 2001 Motherland release.

Hot House Flowers - Thing of Beauty

A great track for the Hump Day Retro-Closet. Irish band Hothouse Flowers combines traditional Irish music with influences from soul, gospel and rock, which they do with gusto. Their songs pack in a lot of emotion.

They formed in 1985 when Liam O'Maonlaí and Fiachna O'Braonáin began performing as street musicians, or buskers, on the streets of Dublin, Ireland as "The Incomparable Benzini Brothers". Others joined the band and they renamed themselves Hothouse Flowers. In 1986 U2's Bono saw the Flowers performing on television and offered his support. They released their first single, "Love Don't Work This Way", on U2's Mother Records label, which quickly led to a deal with the PolyGram subsidiary London Records. They then released their first album, People, in 1988 and it became the most successful debut album in Irish history.

They never gained the popularity in the US as they did in the UK and Australia, but did have a loyal following. In 1994, they took a one year sabbatical that turned into several years. Their last studio release was 2004's Into Your Heart, but still continue to tour.

Thing of Beauty is off their 1993 release, Songs From The Rain.

The Hush Now - Sadie Hawkins Dance

Boston based indie-rock group The Hush Now's start can be traced back to a bizarre auto accident. Guitarist and singer Noel Kelly had a serious car accident in Los Angeles when he crashed into a church while attempting to drive with a broken wrist. After his brush with death, he moved to Portland, Oregon and began writing the material that would become The Hush Now's first album.

Kelly then moved to Boston, met the other members of the band and recorded the songs he wrote in Portland. Sadie Hawkins Dance is an excellent indie-pop tune off this self-titled album.

Lucia Micarelli - Samarkand

Lucia Micarelli began playing violin at age 3 and played her first concert with an orchestra at six years old. After being classically trained at Juilliard and the Manhattan School of Music she became the concertmaster with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on their Christmas Season Tour in 2003 when she was only 20 years old.

Samarkand is off her first release, Music From A Farther Room, which was produced by Josh Groban after she toured with him on his Closer Tour as a guest soloist and concertmaster.

Recently she has toured with Jethro Tull from 2005-2007. Currently she is touring with Chris Botti.

Lloyd Cole - Woman In A Bar

Lloyd Cole has been around awhile. In the 80's he led the group Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. The group disbanded in 1989 and Cole began a solo career. His first two solo releases enjoyed success both in the UK and US. Although his subsequent releases lacked the same level of popular success, Cole continued to write and record.

The most noticeable thing about Cole's songs are his very smart, blackly humorous and self-deprecating lyrics. He writes intelligent songs with a pop tune.

Woman In A Bar is off his 2006 release Anti-Depressant, an album Cole uses to examine the mid-life trappings,failures and delights.

Stakka Bo - Here We Go

I wanted to start a new feature on Hoi Polloi. I've always had a fascination with a song or band that catches my ear, but that disappears just as quick as they came on the scene. They many not be a one hit wonder, but are more of a flash in the pan - Hear Today Gone Tomorrow. I'll occasionally post one of these tracks.

The first entry in this is Here We Go from Stakka Bo. Stakka Bo is Swedish musician Johan Renck. He scored a minor hit in 1993 with Here We Go off his Supermarket release. He released a second album, which didn't enjoy success.

Renck changed careers and switched to directing music videos for several artists, including Kylie Minogue, All Saints and Madonna. He recently moved into directing films and had his first film, Downloading Nancy, premier at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival where it was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize.

Jamiroquai - Starchild

Jamiroquai is really a band that changes around front-man, singer, songwriter, groove-master Jay Kay (known as JK). The band's name is a combination of Jam session and "iroquai", based on the Iroquois indians. Kay formed Jamiroquai after he unsuccessfully auditioned as the lead singer for The Brand New Heavies.

Bringing in element of soul, funk, pop, electronic and acid jazz, Jamiroquai has evolved since their first release in 1993, Emergency on Planet Earth. Starchild is off their 2006 release, Dynamite. They released a 'best of' compilation in 2008, which completed their Sony contract. It is rumored that they will be releasing a new album on Columbia later this year.

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

Brooklyn-based indie rock band, Grizzly Bear, began as a home recording project. Music experimentalist, Edward Droste, holed himself up for 15 months in his Greenpoint, Brooklyn, apartment and recorded on a small hand-held tape recorder Multi-instrumentalist, Christopher Bear, added additional instrumentation and vocals to Droste's stripped-down sonic blueprints.

The album, Horn of Plenty, we supposed to be just for friend but eventually circulated through New York's underground music scene. It was released as a full album in 2004, but did not gain success until the band toured extensively. Since then, their popularity has grown with new releases and releases of older Droste recording.

Two Weeks is off their 2009 release Veckatimest (named after a small island off Massachusetts)

B-52's - Private Idaho

This week's Hump Day Retro Closet track is from The B-52's. I still vividly remember the first time I heard them. I was playing basketball with some friends and someone put on the self-titled first album (cassette tape, actually) on a big boom-box. I had to stop playing and ask who it was, because I had never heard anything like it. I was floored.

Their second release, Wild Planet, from 1980 is a perfect extension of their first release. It's hard to remember which album a specific track is on. Today track, Private Idaho, embodied everything that is the B-52's.

Paris Combo - Chez Nous

To continue the world music theme, today I bring you Paris Combo, which as their name suggests, they are based in Paris, France. They are an acoustic group that have an eclectic style, blending elements from the traditional French chanson, American jazz and swing, Roma music and North African music. This 5 member group is as culturally diverse as their music with two French members, vocalist Belle du Berry, drummer Francois Francois, Australian trumpeter Davis Lewis, Madagasgan bassist Mano Ranzanajato and Mediterranean guitarist Potzi.

Chez Nous is off their 2000 release, Living Room.