Martha Wainwright - 'I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too'

Martha Wainwright—daughter of folksingers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, sister of torch song master Rufus Wainwright—will probably always be associated with the work of her family, by default. However, her habit of releasing stellar album after stellar album ensures that she's hardly living in the shadow of her parents and older brother. I Know You're Married... is yet another exquisite collection.

Wainwright's Assets

Wainwright's gift is in the sheer power and breadth of her vocals. She's mastered that rare dynamism vocalists tend to spend their careers striving toward—the ability to move seemlessly from a whisper to a growl to a smooth, soaring note, high above what one would assume to be the top of her range. She can, within the confines of a single song, play both angel and demon, and she does so wonderfully.

Another great gift, which seems to be coarsing through the veins of all the Wainwrights, is the ability to conceptualize, tackle, and achieve rather ambitious arrangements.

"The George Song" (purchase/download) is an excellent example, driven initially by a fairly simplistic guitar groove. As the tune progresses, though, suddenly the guitar cuts out and propells the listener into a dreamy arrangement—the sonic equivalent of being shot into the sky. Then, unseemingly, it returns to the dark curiosity of the guitar-driven section, and back again. Eventually, backing vocals egging her on, Wainwright's voice turns sideways, bouncing back and forth between caterwauling madness and insistent sincerity.

Stand-Out Songs

Another inheritence from the musical genes that have been passed onto her is a fierce fearlessness; a willingness to not cloud her songs with flowery language when the thing she needs to say is plain and simple. In "I Wish I Were" (purchase/download)—easily one of the record's strongest moments—she sings, "Is there sincerity in anything I say? / Do I know what anything means? / Can I see?" What makes the line tug so hard is the absolute sincerity with which she delivers it.

Also notable is her cover of the Eurythmics' "Love is a Stranger" (purchase/download). She doesn't bother deconstructing what is already an excellent collection of lyrics and melody. Instead, she just Martha-izes it, leading unknowing listeners to believe the song could just as well have been written by her.

"So Many Friends" (purchase/download) is a strong story-song that calls to mind some amalgam of Dolly Parton, Townes Van Zandt, and Neko Case. Of course, Wainwright twists it up with pop-style backing vocals, synthesizer interludes, and a haunting acoustic piano part. All these additives are subtle accessories to her simple acoustic guitar part. "I have lost so many friends," she sings in a voice that sounds like bawling, "I have gained so many memories."

The Bottom Line

Above all, Wainwright's greatest asset is marrying all her disparate musical influences, from the folkiness of "I Wish I Were" to the melodic, ironic loveliness of "Bleeding All Over You" (purchase/download) (a song of ultimate unrequited love, where she drops the album's title), to "You Cheated Me" (which is almost like a collaboration between Liz Phair and Burt Bacharach).

In other words, this isn't just a record contemporary folk music fans will enjoy—it's one for any kind of music fan. And, it's one of the best of the year so far.