I - know you're married but i've got feelings too, martha wainwright (2008)

daughter of loudon wainwright iii and younger sister of rufus, martha was surely always destined to be something of a musical genius. i own her first two releases (this and 2005's self-titled album) and was thrilled to see that the quebec native has also recently released "sans fusils, ni souliers, a paris" a tribute to edith piaf, recorded live in paris. i look forward to hearing it; what a lovely combination that will be.

this particular album is my ultimate catharsis album, so it was perfect timing for this morning after a couple of very stressful, grumpy, frustrated and ultimately sad days. it starts with martha's haunting, portentous voice. no matter what this woman was singing she could make it sound achingly beautiful. combine that with her desperately emotional lyrics ("you got a girlfriend and i can only talk about her / for so very long / then the mind turns into my heart and whispers / into the dark cave that i've been wrong / my heart was made / for bleeding all over you / and i know you're married but i've got feelings too / and i still love you"..... yea, you get the picture, somewhere along the line it seems someone done gone and smashed poor martha's heart...) it's topped off by well-written, wistful and complementary music - the forlorn cello, wailing electric guitars (contributed, in this instance, by the who's pete townshend) and there you have an album of pure beautiful anguish.

far from a couple of "obviously sad" tracks, it's am entire album chock full of poignant despair. martha, like her brother and father, is an excellent songwriter, using her medium to tell a meaningful story, full of depth and texture. this is the kind of album that grabs you inside and kind of twists things around a bit. it's wrenching and agonising and breathtakingly emotional - but at the same time it contains elements of optimism. "you cheated me" is a jaunty, almost pop song, with fresh-sounding acoustic guitar, mischevious lyrics, and notes of genuine cheekiness.  but martha's often cheerful melodies and striking vocal harmonies bring a lighter note to the album. and for all of the insecurity that comes through in some of the songs, martha clearly also displays strength - not just vocally, but intellectually and creatively. plus she does an exceptional cover of pink floyd's "see emily play".

as a listener, it's totally and completely self-indulgent - the kind of album you listen to when you need to a release and then almost feel a bit silly for getting so emotionally involved in it. i normally feel better after six or seven tracks. this morning i listened to the whole album, then repeated the first two songs.