Martha Wainwright
by Martha Wainwright
  • Record Label: Zoe
  • Release Date: Apr 12, 2005
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 35 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 35
  3. Negative: 2 out of 35

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  1. Robert
    Aug 26, 2006
    10
    One of the most honest singers I've ever heard. Her voice is so soar and beautiful that you can't do anything else exept be moved by it.
  2. Alex
    Jul 27, 2006
    9
    she totally rocks. she has a fabulously unqiue voice, and her lyrics kick ass. B.M.F.A has to be one of the greatest songs I've heard in quite some time.
  3. JoeG
    Feb 23, 2006
    10
    Up there with Joni Mitchell's Blue in many respects, and I urge lovers of that classic to give this a go. Martha's voice and the way she uses it means she could sing the phone book and sound great. Thankfully she has her own songs which are as engaging as her voice and eminently playable if you have a guitar to hand. Lovely warm production too, perfect for late night listening. Up there with Joni Mitchell's Blue in many respects, and I urge lovers of that classic to give this a go. Martha's voice and the way she uses it means she could sing the phone book and sound great. Thankfully she has her own songs which are as engaging as her voice and eminently playable if you have a guitar to hand. Lovely warm production too, perfect for late night listening. My favourite of 2005, so it's a 10 from me.… Collapse
  4. SeamusS
    Feb 10, 2006
    10
    I honestly think Q nailed it. Her voice is something incredible. It flows with a natural kind of confidence that's hard to find in modern music, pushing forward with angst ridden lyrics while never lossing ballance and falling into cleche. She has the air of a seasoned vet and the brilliance to one day become one.
  5. ScottY
    Jan 15, 2006
    8
    Good stuff, better than pop. Seems like more creative and intelligent songwriting than your average female singer-songwriter. My only wish was that even though Bloody Mother F'ing A-hole is a great song on the album, I can't really play this album around the house since I have little kids around. In any case, it's worth owning.
  6. ThePunt
    Sep 21, 2005
    10
    This is, without doubt, the finest album of the year. It is the best album since "Is This It"! Sweet and vulnerable and so goddamn catchy that I hum it all day and play it all night.
  7. GlennD
    Sep 4, 2005
    10
    Beautifully, melodic and passionate. Beautiful but like a scorpion, has a poisonous skin.
  8. salomey
    Sep 3, 2005
    9
    i think both the songs and her songs are really good. but what makes me returning to this one - and makes it a great album to me - is that it posesses some kind of enchanting quality kudos martha
  9. LisaL
    Aug 6, 2005
    9
    Martha is cool!
  10. CherylC
    Jul 23, 2005
    2
    Saw live performance at Massey Hall, July 22. 2005. What I heard was like finger nails on a blackboard. 30 Minutes was pure torture. I looked around and saw many people wishing they had come late to see the headliner.
  11. matta
    Jul 6, 2005
    7
    Pretty good but not quite on par with Fiona Apple, Rachel yamagata in the Woman Angst Indie Rock category.
  12. D.B.Sweeney
    Jul 4, 2005
    9
    I haven't stopped listening to this. By far the best of the year so far. While I like the lyrics, some are a bit over the top (I don't like Ball & Chain). However the melodies, and especially her voice, are wonderful. I'm sure I'm not the only one that will compair her to Mary Margaret O'Hara (and that's extremely high praise).
  13. Matt
    Jun 9, 2005
    10
    Gorgeous.. separates herself from the Lilith Fair crowd.
  14. susanb
    Jun 6, 2005
    10
    chrissie hynde, patti smith, emmylou harris, lucinda willaims, martha wainwright ....
  15. BarbWire
    Jun 4, 2005
    10
    Excellent CD. Put it loud and sing. Comes from the heart, goes to the heart. Vive Montréal et ses artistes!
  16. JamesO
    Jun 4, 2005
    10
    Her lyrics are upfront and honest though achingly beautiful, and her voice conveys emotions in ways I haven't really heard much before... in a word... wonderful.
  17. Charlie
    Jun 3, 2005
    10
    No one else has made me laugh and cry within three minutes for a long, long time. Been waiting for an album like this since Blood on the Tracks.
  18. lesd
    May 19, 2005
    9
    georgeous!!
  19. PatS
    May 16, 2005
    9
    Never give a 10 to someone unless he or she is dead. Martha is not dead but instead she uses the best living honest(l)y voice alive. What for instance Emmylou Harris worked for during the last 35 years, Martha already has at the age of 28. Impressive!
  20. davida
    May 8, 2005
    10
    This is an album that you will love and cherish and maybe your friends won't even give it a listen since it's not trendy like The Bravery or some crap like that, but these songs endure, and the performing is perfect. The best debut since The Shins 1st album.
  21. MikeA
    May 6, 2005
    8
    Following a very interesting EP, here's a solid first full-length album. Wonderful voice, she's quite something to see live. Intensity and talent. It runs in the family...
  22. SeanA
    May 3, 2005
    10
    Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful.
  23. LawrenceP
    Apr 27, 2005
    10
    I think I'm in love.
  24. NathanR
    Apr 22, 2005
    10
    Whatever your expectations are, they will be far exceeded when you finish this CD. Martha Wainwright is perfect. Her songs, her voice...so good it hurts. I love her.
  25. RaoulS
    Apr 17, 2005
    8
    Though she does not appear to be much of an optimist, it is simply beautiful music.
  26. MPigeon
    Apr 16, 2005
    10
    So Beautiful!
  27. BostonBoy
    Apr 15, 2005
    10
    Beautiful feelings, words and musicality on this album. I look forward to listening to her records for years to come. Buy this CD and support independent labels and talented young artists! Go Martha!
  28. Johnd.
    Apr 13, 2005
    10
    Martha Wainwright jumps right into her debut album, brazenly wielding her complete artistic control with real skill and spunk. Her sound and style are fearless as she deftly shifts from folksy feminism, to mawkish country ballad, to punky ether, to insightful music-box emulation. Each of the songs on this album is a well-crafted curio, exhibiting Wainwright's style swapping range- Martha Wainwright jumps right into her debut album, brazenly wielding her complete artistic control with real skill and spunk. Her sound and style are fearless as she deftly shifts from folksy feminism, to mawkish country ballad, to punky ether, to insightful music-box emulation. Each of the songs on this album is a well-crafted curio, exhibiting Wainwright's style swapping range- all beautiful, touching, and impressive. She demonstrates her inspiring range on this album and for those familiar with BMFA, we are given more of that that angry, fleshy, whole-souled poetry on this striking mix-tape of a performance piece. Wainwright tempers her post-riot-grrrl sensibilities with each successive track by celebrating the natural beauty of the female voice. You can hear the steely thrust towards the off-kilter elegance of her verse. She pushes her words with such blazing feeling that she captures something truly special. Because of this, her music becomes less about catchy licks and more about the abilities of her voice. You are lulled into bathing in her throaty gestures while she puts them to work explaining her gripping lyrics. Her voice is sweet, savory, and everything in between as she inflects and attacks. It's as if her small club appearances have molded an intimate and haunting voice coupled with a smooth phrasing, exhibiting a familiar smoky New York debauchery. The ingenuity of her white knuckle song writing matches her voice well, and her parched note bending pulls the songs to even greater heights. No doubt, when she impels her voice, it becomes a real attention grabber.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

76
#76 Best Album of 2005
21
#21 Most Shared Album of 2005

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Q Magazine
    80
    Her voice is a thing of wonder. [Apr 2005, p.123]
  2. The Guardian
    80
    Her songs are tough and earthy, hating mere prettiness when fieriness or forcefulness are required.
    Read full review
  3. Under The Radar
    80
    Martha takes the golden era of folk and mixes it with modern thematic flair. [#9]
See all critic reviews »