I've been cheated.

"I've been cheated" is always the sentiment I feel when I discover an artist, singer, movie, book, restaurant, or person that is wonderful and I feel like I've been cheated because I JUST discovered this thing and didn't know about it all along. It's a cruel world that keeps us from beauty. This is how I feel about Martha Wainwright. She's a Canadian/American folk/pop singer-songwriter. I just discovered her music through a daily song Podcast I get through 89.3 The Current (the best radio station in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area-- and perhaps the world!). The song they played was "You Cheated Me" from her newest album. How ironic that was the song title because that is how I feel. How unfortunate that it's taken me this long to find her! I suppose this is the same sentiment that lovers feel when they finally find the one person who fills their heart with joy: why didn't I find you sooner? Maybe I was supposed to slug through other musicians work that left me feeling unsatisfied and incomplete until I finally started finding people who's music makes my heart sing. Listening to Hootie and the Blowfish and The Goo Goo Dolls for years before I discovered good music was like kissing a swamp full of frogs before I started to find the true princes and princesses of music!

I highly recommend checking out Martha Wainwright. Her myspace page is a good place to get a taste of her unique voice and lyrics: www.myspace.com/marthawainwright.
Martha comes from a long line of singer-songwriters. She is the sister of Rufus Wainwright and the daughter of Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle. I enjoy both her father and brother as musicians, but there is something about her voice that catches in my memory and makes me feel like I can't stop listening to it. Is it possible to get addicted to a voice? Because I seem to have this reoccurring problem where I find someone and get addicted to their voice and I go on a bender where all I do is listen to their music for hours on end until I start to feel I've overdone it. I can't quite describe her voice. It has so many layers to it that it's hard and rough sounding at times and silky smooth and soft at other times. She has the ability to add so much dimension to her songs because of her amazing voice. You know when you eat something decadent and wonderfully sweet and you love every moment you spent eating it. Even the aftertaste is wonderful so you happily let it linger on your tongue and lips. That's how I feel about her voice. Its so delicious I'm letting it stay with me because I don't want to get rid of it.

There's this moment in "You Cheated Me" where she's been singing in a certain more restrained style until about 2 minutes into the song and she hits this long and soaring note that propels the song to a new level. Please listen to her and let her voice take you to a new level.