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Arguably the most talented member of the Wainwright famille, Martha has a phenomenal voice, a stubborn independent streak and poor business sense. That, combined with dogged perfectionism, means that despite years of playing gigs and self-releasing killer EPs, she’s never put out a proper LP. Now, possibly encouraged by props from Norah Jones, the folks at Maple have aided her in dropping a stunning debut, recorded over a year with producer Brad Albetta in NYC, that combines tracks from her three EPs with new material. The measured, melancholic reimagining of Factory, backed by swooning strings and woodwinds, demonstrates her talent for (re)interpreting songs, while the delicately baroque trad folk of These Flowers and Whither Must I Wander could be McGarrigle classics. Wainwright’s an underrated songwriter with a wicked sense of humour, and her stylistic range here – from lazy alt-country to New Romanticized pop to cabaret rock – is impressive.
