Martha Wainwright

I Know You’re Married But I’ve Got Feelings Too (Zoë)

It’s been so long (three years) since Martha Wainwright’s self-titled debut that at least one critic began to worry that her career would be subsumed by that of big brother Rufus. That worry’s all for naught, thankfully, because I Know You’re Married produces a scorcher. While slightly less autobiographical than her debut, full-length two still spins deeply personal and no less affecting, with reflections on war (“Tower Song”) and her mother’s cancer (“In the Middle of the Night”). Not only has Martha inherited and embraced the caustic Wainwright wit (opener “Bleeding All Over You” and the beautiful, barbed “Hearts Club Band”), she’s managed to infuse her own, more feminine ethos into the singer-songwriter mix. Where Rufus’ work is fabulously bedazzled, Martha’s remains earth-hued and loamy – rich, deep, complex – making Married well worth the wait.

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This article appears in July 18 • 2008.

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