Average User Rating: 80% (15 Reviews)
5 / 5	Kooky Kook In Kooksville The Wolf (uk) - 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.... Read Full Review »
3 / 5	I blame Jools Holland IJ "chasingshadows" (Liverpool, UK) - 20 July 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. ... Read Full Review »
5 / 5	Fun, provoking - everything a pop album should be?! Mr. A. J. Whiteway "andy-ru" (Londinium, uk) - 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. ... Read Full Review »
4 / 5	Martha Does It Again IWFIcon - 24 May 2008 Well at least the "Album Title of the Year" title can be wrapped up early in 2008. Martha Wainwright's debut album was one of the best debut's that we've had this century; it may have been a difficult listen at times, but in many ways that made it all the more compelling. If there's one singer-songwriter out there at the moment willing to tell us what she really thinks, without filtering out too much of the interesting stuff, it's Wainwright. I Know You're Married... is, lyrically, more of the same, but with an added commercial surety. Whether or not this is seen as a good thing depends on your point of view. Me? Well I've never seen anything wrong with wanting to sell more records. Especially when she's kept what was so great about her in the first part largely intact. Whether it's nailing unrequited love on Bleeding All Over You, putting 911 into perspective on The Tower Songs or chronicling her mother's recent battle with cancer on In The Middle Of The Night, Wainwright is never less than a compelling narrator. Her strengths of course will be labelled as her weaknesses by some critics, and that is fair enough. I've said before that Wainwright, like all of her family clan, is somewhat of an acquired taste. But whatever way you look at it, this album is breathtaking and is further proof that Martha may well prove to be the best Wainwright of them all.... Read Full Review »
5 / 5	Excellent follow up A. Butler "Bad Girls Fan!" (Liverpool) - 1 May 2008 I got hold of this cd a week or so ago, and it is a million times better than her first album. And I loved that a lot! I love So Many Friends and In The Middle of the Night best. But You Cheated Me is very catchy too. Such a moving album in some places and so much fun in others. Oh and the person who commented about the "missing track"... It really wouldn't have taken much effort to google it or check on her site... The UK do not get this track, so Amazon were wrong to mention it. Martha says we may get it as a b side. I just ordered the Australian version. Out at the same time (not waiting for the June US release!) and normally only takes about 4 or 5 days from Oz. ... Read Full Review »