Natalie Merchant releasing new album “Keep Your Courage” — hear 2 tracks now

Natalie Merchant | “Tower of Babel” video

Former 10,000 Maniacs frontwoman Natalie Merchant this week releases her ninth solo album, the 10-song Keep Your Courage — which is her first collection of all new music in nearly a decade.

The album will be released Friday by Nonesuch Records digitally and on CD and vinyl. Merchant has previewed the album with two singles — “Come On, Aphrodite” and “Tower of Babel” — which you can hear below.

The new album is produced by Merchant herself and is almost a decade in the making, according to her publicists. The record features guest turns by Celtic folk group Lúnasa, Syrian virtuoso clarinetist Kinan Azmeh and jazz trombonist Steve Davis, and orchestrations by composers including Gabriel Kahane, Stephen Barber, Colin Jacobsen and Megan Gould.

Merchant also is heading out on an extensive U.S. tour, beginning Friday in Poughkeepsie, New York — with dates set in April, May, June, July and September, including some where she will perform with symphony orchestras. She also has a short run of European date planned for November.

Below, check out two new songs, the album’s tracklist and cover, and all of those tour dates.

Natalie Merchant, Keep Your Courage

1. “Big Girls”
2. “Come on, Aphrodite”
3. “Sister Tilly”
4. “Narcissus”
5. “Hunting the Wren”
6. “Guardian Angel”
7. “Eye of the Storm”
8. “Tower of Babel”
9. “Song of Himself”
10. “The Feast of Saint Valentine”

Natalie Merchant tour dates 2023

UNITED STATES
April 14: Poughkeepsie, NY —Bardavon, 1869 Opera House
April 15: Poughkeepsie, NY —Bardavon, 1869 Opera House
April 18: Pittsburgh, PA —Byham Theater
April 19: Charlottesville, VA —The Paramount Theater
April 21: Philadelphia, PA —Kimmel Cultural Campus
April 22: Hershey, PA —The Hershey Theatre
April 24: Greenville, SC —Peace Center Concert Hall
April 26: Clearwater, FL —Ruth Eckerd Hall
April 27: Fort Lauderdale, FL — Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center for the Performing Arts *
April 28: St. Augustine, FL —The Saint Augustine Amphitheatre
April 30: Atlanta, GA —Atlanta Symphony Hall *
May 9: Portland, ME—Merrill Auditorium
May 10: Boston, MA—Emerson Colonial Theatre
May 11: Boston, MA—Emerson Colonial Theatre
May 13: Cleveland, OH—Keybank State Theatre
May 14: Cincinnati, OH—Taft Theatre
May 16: Carmel, IN—The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts
May 17: Ann Arbor, MI—Michigan Theater
May 19: Chicago, IL—Chicago Theatre
May 20: Milwaukee, WI—The Pabst Theater
June 2–3: New York, NY—Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts—Alice Tully Hall *
June 25: Newark, NJ—New Jersey Performing Arts Center *
June 28: Providence, RI—Veterans Memorial Auditorium *
June 30: Washington, DC—John F. Kennedy Center for The Performing Arts *
July 1: Washington, DC—John F. Kennedy Center for The Performing Arts *
July 8: Chautauqua, NY—Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater *
Sept. 20: Spokane, WA—Martin Woldson Theatre at The Fox
Sept. 22: Seattle, WA — Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
Sept. 23: Portland, OR—Keller Auditorium
Sept. 26: San Francisco, CA—The Masonic
Sept. 27: Saratoga, CA—The Mountain Winery
Sept. 29: San Diego, CA—Humphrey’s *
Sept. 30: Los Angeles, CA—Walt Disney Concert Hall

EUROPE
Nov. 2: London, UK—London Palladium
Nov. 3: London, UK—London Palladium
Nov. 5: Glasgow, UK—Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Nov. 6: Manchester, UK—O2 Apollo Manchester
Nov. 8: Dublin, IE—Olympia
Nov. 11: Bath, UK—The Forum
Nov. 13: Amsterdam, NL—Carré Theatre
Nov. 14: Brussels, BE—Cirque Royal

* With symphony orchestra

PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS

• Vintage Video: 10,000 Maniacs open a Grateful Dead stadium show on July 4, 1989
• Video: 10,000 Maniacs, ‘I Don’t Love You Too’ — off first new album in 14 years