Martha Wainwright

Martha Wainwright has always been an artist who sees a little bit of humor in the futility of it all; this a feeling that is obviously still present based on the title of her sophomore album. The title is also a lyric from album opener, "Bleeding All Over You," an upbeat, self-pity fest about unrequited love, which is followed by lead single "You Cheated Me," and the lyric, "Why don't you just run your scared lil ass down the block / I'll catch up with you when you come back and…"

And while there's still humor in the album's dark nature as it goes on, the bleaker side of things definitely dominates the rest of the album. "Jesus and Mary" finds her pining after religious salvation that she doesn't particularly believe in, while the subsequent track, "In The Middle of the Night," recalls her mother's battle with cancer. Much of the album is also informed by Martha's fear of abandonment, as both "So Many Friends" and "Jimi" speak to the tenuous nature of her relationships.

For the first time in her career, I Know You're Married... finds Martha being just as brave musically as she is lyrically. The political "Tower Song" is a sad, disjointed orchestral piece, followed by "Hearts Club Band," a lush pop song that borrows some theatricality from her brother Rufus. And finally, to pull the album out of it's emotional tailspin, she closes with a fun cover of Eurythmics' "Love is a Stranger."

This is hardly a straightforward pop album, and it requires something from the listener to truly enjoy it. But, once sat through a couple of times, it's beauty really starts to shine through.

—Nathan Atnikov
06.09.08

As strong as Martha Wainwright's self-titled debut album was, her second full-length effort, I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too, feels like a dazzling surprise, surpassing the first record in artistry and ambition and offering an even more striking picture of her talents. Wainwright's songwriting is every bit as strong on this collection as on her first album (no small achievement), and her skill at defining a character in words is impressive indeed, with uneven relationships dominating but not entirely defining the many people Wainwright brings to life here. As a singer, she's gone from strength to strength on I Know You're Married; sounding like some remarkable fusion of Kate Bush, Patti Smith, and Kate McGarrigle (the latter happens to be her mom), Wainwright has learned how to draw out the drama from songs like "Comin' Tonight," "Bleeding All Over You," and "The George Song," though she's intelligent enough to do so without sinking into melodrama. And while several different producers worked on this album (most notably Brad Alberta and Martin Terefe), the results have a rich, unified sound and feeling, with Wainwright's powerhouse vocals luring the spotlight from a talented team of studio collaborators (including Pete Townshend, Donald Fagen, Garth Hudson, and Martha's brother Rufus) and meshing with arrangements that gracefully go from the spare to the grandiose. While much has been made of Martha Wainwright's place in a family of very talented musicians, I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too is the work of a singer and songwriter who stands in no one's shadow and has fashioned a striking voice of her own, and that voice is in full and fascinating flight here. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide