The Natalie Merchant Collection—a deluxe ten-CD box set compiled by Natalie Merchant—is out now. The collection comprises ten discs, including all eight of her solo studio albums from the past three decades; Butterfly, a new studio set featuring four new songs and six reinterpreted selections from her catalog, all arranged for string quartet; and Rarities, a collection of fifteen rare and previously unreleased tracks recorded between 1998 and 2017, which offers a unique view of Merchant's creative experimentation through home studio demos, album outtakes, live tracks, and collaborations with diverse artists like Billy Bragg, David Byrne, The Chieftains, Cowboy Junkies, and Amy Helm. The package includes a 100-page lyric book and pictorial history of the singer-songwriter's solo career—an archival treasure box for collectors.

To pick up a copy of The Natalie Merchant Collection, head to your local music shop, Amazon, or the Nonesuch Store, where orders include a download of the complete album at checkout.

Mojo gives the set a rare and perfect five stars, calling it “magnificent ... a definitive and absorbing celebration of an artist with a singular voice and vision.” The Daily Telegraph says, “Merchant is a rare breed: an artist who has never compromised, but instead evolved with integrity, thought, and meaning.”

The Times of London gives the collection four stars. "A welcome re-evaluation of the folk singer's impressive catalogue," says reviewer Will Hodgkinson. "It's hard to choose a favourite album from these. While there’s plenty here for the new convert to enjoy the seasoned Merchant fan will be turning to the extra material. Listening to Merchant’s calm, authoritative voice as she interprets old folk tunes, sings uplifting pop songs or offers her considered take on current affairs, it seems that she was right all along."

Uncut describes Merchant's work as "music that is both serious and playful, grounded in history yet making room for whimsy. Merchant merges as a subtle vocalist and an imaginative storyteller who approaches big ideas about gender, class race, social justice through character and metaphor."

BBC Radio 2's Mark Radcliffe says: "There are some voices that always stand out and Natalie Merchant is definitely one of those—her tone, her style, her thoughtful interpretations of songs have marked her out as a great singer since she started with 10,000 Maniacs. A hallmark of quality."

"Listening to this sumptuous compendium of Merchant's solo work, genre-bending motifs that recall Joni Mitchell give an indication as to the direction she wanted her career to take," says Record Collector, which gives the set four stars. "In the space of a three-paragraph review it’s impossible to fully acknowledge the worth of Merchant’s songs, but there is a vibrant and evocative voice at work here … Collecting her canon in one place does serve to celebrate the steps she’s confidently taken over the last 25 years. Merchant should be cherished for single-mindedly charting her own course without bowing to the narrow demands of the hip proto-Americana scene that delivered her."

To coincide with the release of the box set, Merchant is currently touring the United States with Natalie Merchant: 3 Decades of Song, performing songs from across her entire career. A portion of the tour's proceeds will be donated to the environmental organization Food & Water Watch, which champions healthy food and clean water. Tickets are available at nonesuch.com/on-tour.