Keep Your Courage

Keep Your Courage is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant, released on April 14, 2023, by Nonesuch Records. It is her first full-length studio album since 2014's Natalie Merchant and Merchant also promoted the release with a tour, accompanied on some dates by a symphony orchestra. The album has received positive reviews, but faced criticism for its tone and length.
Recording, release, and promotion
The album is a song cycle built around the concept of having a courageous heart, and is a concept album composed entirely of love songs, which Merchant was inspired to write after having surgery and experiencing healing from love and care by others. Lyrics discuss feelings of isolation that she had during the COVID-19 pandemic and the album also explores political themes and feminism. Many of the songs are written about or to fictional or mythological characters, which is a songwriting tool that Merchant uses to approach contemporary issues. The cover is a photograph of a statue of Joan of Arc that Merchant found many years prior and kept.
The album was promoted by two singles: "Come On, Aphrodite" on February 15, 2023, and "Tower of Babel" on March 30, 2023. Merchant participated in a promotion with Uncut to answer fans' questions. She also hosted a set on WDST-FM, Radio Woodstock on April 15.
Beginning in May 2022, Merchant took the music from this album and prepared it for an orchestral arrangement. The promotional tour for this album finds Merchant accompanied by a string quartet on all dates. In the table below, entries with an asterism (⁂) feature an orchestra.