Martha Wainwright LOVE WILL BE REBORN. Cooking Vinyl FACTOR

“With an undeniable voice and an arsenal of powerful songs, Martha Wainwright is a beguiling performer and a refreshingly different force in music. Martha began building a buzz with her well-noted EPs, prior to her 2005 critically and commercially successful debut LP, MARTHA WAINWRIGHT. In 2008, Martha followed with her sophomore album, I KNOW YOU’RE MARRIED BUT I’VE GOT FEELINGS TOO, which showed her great musical maturity and talent as a songwriter. In 2010 she toured the world promoting her third album, SAN FUSILS, NI SOULIERS A PARIS: Martha Wainwright’s Piaf album. This extraordinary album, an homage to the great Edith Piaf, was received with glowing reviews, leaving audiences stunned by Martha’s incredible range and talent. Her last album, COME HOME TO MAMA, produced by Cibo Matto’s Yuka Honda, was heralded by Mojo Magazine as a “substantial and brilliantly sung career best.”

Review

As the silly awards season ends and the mediocre dominates I’m occasionally reminded just how good music can really be. Back in 2005 I received an Martha Wainwright’s debut record (MARTHA WAINWRIGHT) and was taken aback by its emotional intensity and the lady’s very distinctive voice. I then discovered her musical heritage and began to understand how…Desperate to witness a live performance I managed to secure an invite to a Rufus Wainwright show in Liverpool where Martha was providing backing vocals. I remember it so clearly because it was the night before Bush was elected and Rufus communicated to a capacity audience that he hope it wouldn’t happen…It quickly became clear that in addition to performing in the studio, Martha was dynamite live. There then followed more studio albums and three further occasions when I had the absolute pleasure of watching and reviewing live shows. To-date, Martha has consistently released great records and on listening to LOVE WILL BE REBORN several times count this one as one of her very best.

‘Middle Of The Lake’ immediately reveals that unique and expressive vocal that ebbs between anger and soft reflection in a way that few can hope to match. ‘Love Will Be Reborn’ is next and sheds much of the misty production of the former. Together with a strong melody and passionate, soaring vocal the song’s lyrics scream openness and quality: “I cried only one tear for us today and I will wipe it away before the day breaks…” - Simple, direct and moving.

An artist can have the greatest voice, instrumental, production and marketing support but, for me, if the songs are mediocre I’m only hearing a portion of the story. Tracks like this next one place Wainright up there amongst some of the best female singer/songwriters around:

GETTING OLDER

I’m getting older, I need your shoulder
I need your love and I need your blood
I want your honey, I’ll take your money
I’ll pay you back, I’ll get the cash

With you my life has begun
I was on the run
We’ve got the time it takes to burn out the sun and the hearts
desperately undone
I’ve been so afraid. My body’s burnt and laid out on a table at my wake
And the radio’s on
It’s playing my song
It’s the one that will take us to the end if we defend our love and our
souls to mend

Can you hear my words? Can you feel my worth?
Can you read my mind and share the rest of time

I was making my own bed, I was picturing my death
I was lost in a fire and you saved me with your desire
Can you hear me know? It’s time to take a bow out of this last life born
of sacrifice

Not only is this a superb song but I instinctively feel that it’s the emotional and open truth; it’s personal, poetic and passionate. ‘Being Right’ arrives with minimal instrumental treatment and allows that distinctive and passionate voice to dominate above a strong melody and another set of compelling lyrics. ‘Report Card’ is a ballad made so special with a vocal that wanders across the range like a stream travelling over diverse sizes of stones; gentle at times, crashing at times, climbing at times. It’s an extraordinary performance. ‘Body And Soul’ travels along an alt-country path while ‘Hole In My Heart’ reminds of songs from her debut album with their powerhouse rhythmic vibe and angry vocal deliveries.

‘Justice’ exposes a slower more contemplative ambience while ‘Sometimes’ offers a more jaunty, optimistic flavour with the strongest melody on the record. ‘Rainbow’ is one of my favourite tracks with its adventurous instrumental arrangement and initial almost ecclesiastical feel that eventually explodes into the rockiest of sounds before reverting to something akin to folk. Lyrically, it’s also a stunner: “Why can’t I Be a rainbow? And live for seconds and die forever young/Why do I have to go on? For the kids and the neighbours, for love and for song.”

‘Falaise De Malaise’ concludes the record with a song that combines a few English language lyrics with mainly French ones. It’s a beautiful song with another strong melody and another example of how Wainwright adjusts her vocal tone to a song’s message. There’s also a welcome diversity of pace and mood with a few sonic surprises. For Wainwright fans, this is an essential buy. For those who have yet to sample this singer/songwriter it represents a good start point.

4.5/5