You Can't Fail Me Now - Loudon Wainwright III, Henry, Joe [1]
Daughter - Loudon Wainwright III, Blegvad, Peter
Ypsilanti - Loudon Wainwright III, Henry, Joe [1]
So Much to Do - Loudon Wainwright III, Henry, Joe [1]
Valley Morning
X or Y
Final Frontier
Feel So Good - Loudon Wainwright III, Allison, Mose
Lullaby
Naomi - Loudon Wainwright III, Henry, Joe [1]
Doin' the Math
Strange Weirdos
Passion Play
Rather than an ordinary film soundtrack, this might more accurately be considered an exceptional Loudon Wainwright album. A diehard Wainwright fan, director Judd Apatow explains in his liner notes that he asked the singer-... more »songwriter to score Knocked Up, Apatow's first film since The 40-Year-Old Virgin, only to learn that Wainwright was about to embark on his next recording project with producer Joe Henry. The resulting album features material that Wainwright had written before the film score that the director wanted to use, other cuts that are instrumental snippets in the movie but are songs with lyrics on the album, and still others that take thematic inspiration from the film. While Wainwright so often writes lacerating and hilariously personal material, many of these songs are more like character studies, with a musical range that extends from the ragtime "So Much to Do" (one of two songs written with Henry) and the call-and-response of the chromosome ditty "X or Y" to the Brecht/Weill cabaret tinge of "Final Frontier" to the bluesy "Doin' the Math." Among the musicians providing stellar support are guitarists Richard Thompson and Greg Leisz and keyboardists Patrick Warren and Van Dyke Parks. --Don McLeese« less
Rather than an ordinary film soundtrack, this might more accurately be considered an exceptional Loudon Wainwright album. A diehard Wainwright fan, director Judd Apatow explains in his liner notes that he asked the singer-songwriter to score Knocked Up, Apatow's first film since The 40-Year-Old Virgin, only to learn that Wainwright was about to embark on his next recording project with producer Joe Henry. The resulting album features material that Wainwright had written before the film score that the director wanted to use, other cuts that are instrumental snippets in the movie but are songs with lyrics on the album, and still others that take thematic inspiration from the film. While Wainwright so often writes lacerating and hilariously personal material, many of these songs are more like character studies, with a musical range that extends from the ragtime "So Much to Do" (one of two songs written with Henry) and the call-and-response of the chromosome ditty "X or Y" to the Brecht/Weill cabaret tinge of "Final Frontier" to the bluesy "Doin' the Math." Among the musicians providing stellar support are guitarists Richard Thompson and Greg Leisz and keyboardists Patrick Warren and Van Dyke Parks. --Don McLeese
Arlington J. Trombley Jr. | Malone, NY United States | 06/20/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"To borrow a phrase from John Cusack's character from "High Fidelity" I sometimes want music I can ignore. This pretty much sums up all of Loudon's music for me. I can always have it playing in the background and tune in when I feel like it. It seeps into my head and pretty soon I realize I have been listening to some amazing songs. I discovered Loudon with "Last Man on Earth" and have been hooked since. I keep hoping others will catch on to his music and when I heard about this project I was nervous. Will he try to be too commercial? Will this become another one of those "Ally McBeal" moments? (You know what I mean...the whist full walk into the ending credits while a song plays and the characters take turns looking into the camera so we can all learn the episode's lessons.) But I should not have worried. Turns out he has been making music that could always be played during the ending credits but the difference is that his words will teach you what the actors cannot.
"You Can't Fail Me Now" may be just about the best song I have heard in some time. So honest it hurts. "Daughter" has been one my favorites for sometime. How does a man who write such amazing melodies toil in relative obscurity?
Others have written more poetically about the songs and the CD as a whole. All I can add it this...put on the CD, do some cleaning or have some tea. Maybe clean the garage or sit by a fire and let the music just play. Pretty soon you tune in and realize you were not ignoring this music because Loudon will not be ignored. He will find his way into your soul because he is sharing so much of his. As for this being a soundtrack...I think his music has always been a soundtrack. First for his life...then for ours. Get this CD, get hooked and don't ignore him any longer."
Love it!
S. C. Rosato | Corvallis, OR United States | 08/15/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I found this album after searching for the song at the end of the movie "Knocked Up" ("Daughter", playing during the credits). I bought the album blind, and every song is great (imho). Since then I've heard about Rufus and Martha, and there are several good articles on the web about the album. Kind of folksy, kind of rock. Great lyrics."
Surprisingly Satisfying Folk Pop
Andrew Shaffer | Davenport, Iowa | 06/11/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Daughter," from the closing credits in "Knocked Up," is so good that iTunes won't sell it as a single off of this album (the rest of the album is available for purchase at .99 per track...but you won't want it without "Daughter," trust me!).
Although it's true that "Daughter" is worth the price of admission by itself, the rest of the album isn't a throwaway: Wainwright and producer Joe Henry have put together a fine album of light, breezy folk masquerading as the soundtrack to an equally dandy film. Filmgoers won't be familiar with Wainwright (and I'd only listened to his son, Rufus, before picking this disc up), but they won't be disappointed with this album. I don't think I'll be able to go into a coffee shop in the next couple of months and not hear this CD in the background. And that's a good thing."
Great Introduction to LW3
MB2 | Canton, OH USA | 12/03/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I went back and forth on whether to buy this CD. I loved "Grey in L.A." from the film Knocked Up, but had read that some of the other songs were a little too off-kilter to make the whole album worthwhile. After finally taking the plunge and getting the album, I was pleasently surprised at how good this CD is from top to bottom. Of course "Grey in L.A." is a fantastic sarcastic look at life in SoCal. "Daughter" is an amazing poingnant song about being a father. "You Can't Fail Me Now" is a wonderful change of pace and quite sentimental. "X or Y" is an awesome romp with a touch of soul. These are the highlights of the album, but many of the other songs are definitely listenable, while not exactly outstanding. This was my first foray into the music of Loudon Wainwright III, and I was lucky enough to see him live just this past week. I guess I am hooked as I recently ordered the albums History and Career Moves."
Good stuff!
T. Davis | Seattle, WA | 07/04/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"That director Apatow selected Wainwright to score his film, and that the latter happily accepted, reveals a lot about the cockeyed sense of humor that both men possess. This is a warm, albeit skewed, view of love and parenthood that will delight any longtime Wainwright fan and, for the uninitiated, will serve as a good introduction to his songwriting skills. One hopes it will also persuade fans of the film to look into his extensive back catalogue of witty and sometimes mordantly hilarious music. Keep up the good work, Loudon!"