When Natalie Merchant was a member of 10,000 Maniacs, the seminal '80s folk-rock group, her songs betrayed a liberal social consciousness. In contrast, her 1995 solo debut, "Tigerlily," was willfully insular: a song cycle of love-gone-bad and a glum, some might say pissed-off, cover portrait. Characterized more by a melancholy mood than the catchy tunes she had once been famous for, the album nevertheless was a hit.

But her following two long-players -- the concept album "Ophelia" and a live set -- seemed to lack purpose, as if she were marking time until inspiration returned. "Motherland," her new CD, feels like a renewal. It's there not only in the vocals -- Merchant's unmistakable alto has taken on a pleasing huskiness -- but in the material, which reveals a songwriter looking out at the world again. And the reviews have been positive, something Merchant takes with a grain of salt.

"A lot of people have told me it's the best thing I've ever done," she says over the phone from Hawaii, where she's resting before leaving on a tour of New Zealand, Australia and Japan. "But I decided long ago that if I wasn't going to get angry when I read things I didn't like, then I shouldn't be excited when I read things I did like."