Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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37 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kooky Kook In Kooksville, 16 May 2008
The Wolf was not sure on his first listen to be honest.
Sometimes perseverance pays. This is a very fine offering indeed.
3 years already since Ms Wainwright's eponymous debut.
The Wainwright/McGarrigle dynasty to some degree a millstone
around each members neck.
Always the risk of comparison ( especially with that prodigious brother
lurking in the wings ).
'I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too'.
Howzat for a title ?! ....... I like it.......It's kooky.......and to some degree expected.
We're back in the 'Boho Zone' ( Sam Taylor Wood and all ) and I have to admit
it's good to be back. Kookiness becomes her.
12 new self-penned songs and ONE OTHER (of which more later).
'Bleeding All Over You' ( this gal's great with the titles don't you think ?!) is a
stonking opener. Catchy, lilting, batty and memorable. The vocal harmonies
and Mr Moston's violin superb.
'You Cheated Me', despite Mr Townshend's horribly old hat guitar licks,
a worthy second contender.
Highs and lows from here on in but the highs are truly thrilling.
It pays to have Scandinavian friends. 'Tower Song' with its' icy string arrangement
is certainly one of the album's strongest tracks.
'So Many Friends' a folksy phantasmagoria aptly enhanced by Mr Fagen's
(God this girl certainly does have friends) haunting synthesiser arabesques.
'In The Middle Of The Night' a powerful mid-tempo rocker worthy of
the evangelical Mr Cave.
THAT BROTHER get's his two-penneth worth in 'The George Song'
without stealing the show.
'Niger River' and 'Jimi' plaintive, tender and affecting.
'See Emily Play' ( That ONE OTHER track ) despite a brace of McGarigles
is truly horrible !!!
Luckily, closing track, 'I Wish I Were' wrenches us back by the scruff of our necks
to a powerful and emotionally satisfying conclusion.
This album is a real roller coaster.
Trust me....The price of the ticket is more than worth the ride.
Highly Recommended.
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17 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I blame Jools Holland, 20 Jul 2008
Believe me, it's usually the other way round. Usually I have nothing but praise for the man and his show that introduce me to so many fantastic artists. But in the case of this album, seeing Martha Wainwright perform on that show before purchasing `I Know You're Married, but I've Got Feelings Too' has ruined me, because if I hadn't seen her perform live I would have been blissfully unaware that in the right form this collection of songs presents an absolutely incredible portrait of a uniquely charismatic singer/song-writer. But not when they're delivered with decidedly less passion on an over-produced album that is not a proper showcase for these beautifully written songs and the tortured/passionate voice that always performs to perfect spine-tingling effect in the right setting.
The prime example is track 7- `So Many Friends'- my favourite song when I heard it performed by Martha on the show. An incredibly subtle song that soared into a gloriously ironic chorus on which Martha's voice was tortured and triumphant in equal measure. On the album version her voice dwindles to a pathetic whimper, only then to be drowned out by unnecessary instrumental accompaniment. Why (I ask of nobody in particular) was her voice not allowed to be heard in the true glory evident in all her live performances? It's a mystery to me.
This is emblematic of the album as a whole, but that's not to say there aren't some really cool tracks. Such as track 3- `Jesus and Mary' (7/10) and track 8- `In the Middle of the Night' (8/10) and track 9- `The George Song' (7/10). But I personally could have done without the musical flourishes and would have much preferred a starker offering that boiled down these songs to their most natural elements i.e. Martha's strong voice and her exceptionally emotional delivery. I haven't heard Martha's first album, so going by the comments of previous reviewers I'll be buying that very shortly in order to discover whether it's a better showcase for this infectiously eccentric artist.
The rating might be needlessly harsh and this album is undoubtedly a grower with inspiration and catchy tunes by the bucket-load, but there's no escaping that almost tangible disappointment in this album that just doesn't do justice to Martha's talent.
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11 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, provoking - everything a pop album should be?!, 17 May 2008
Having only had this a week, maybe i'm not qualified to write this review yet, but I feel compelled to act, because if this album gets lost it will be nothing short of a travesty.
Following a great first album was always going to be tough, but I think Martha Wainwright has walked a fantastic tightrope here. She has produced an album of varied moments, at times skirting close to straightforward pop (at which she puts to shame most of her contemporaries), whilst also producing more introspective and intriguing tracks.
'Tower Song' is a great example of the latter. It sits on a bed of prickly strings and feels dark and menacing. It articulates a very 'here and now' sense of loss and desperation and feels compelling because of it. 'In the middle of the night' recalls a slightly heavier Neko Case, all full of backyard incidents and night drama.
Openers 'bleeding all over you' and 'you cheated me' are charming, memorable affairs, full of fantastic lyricism, while reflecting the breezier side of this disc. 'Niger River' is just beautiful and haunting, two adjectives that describe Martha Wainwright's music at its core. This is a logical step forward, but its not safe and it showcases a talent that is more than ready to step out from the already illustrious pedigree of the other Wainwright's.
Also, have we seen a better album title this year? I think not.
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