SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 5:02 Min.
After departing 10,000 Maniacs, its lead vocalist, Natalie Merchant, launched her solo debut with 1995’s Tigerlily album. Contemplating a lonely widower who is struggling to manage living life alone, this soft rock ballad appears as Track # 3.
REVIEW:
In a showcase of Natalie Merchant’s poetic talents, this soft-spoken (and bleak) portrait of life’s loneliness through the eyes of a grieving widower is an underrated masterpiece. Anchored by an ideally poignant melody, Merchant’s elegant lyrics convey the topic of life after ‘death do us part,’ with dignity and realistic optimism. “Beloved Wife” probably isn’t meant for any 90s’s soft rock playlist loops, but it is among several gems worthy of re-discovery on Tigerlily.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 9 Stars
