STRANGE WEIRDOS: MUSIC FROM AND INSPIRED BY THE FILM ‘KNOCKED UP’ (Loudon Wainwright III • Concord Records • $18.98 SRP)
Writer-director Judd Apatow has long been a fan of New York folkie Loudon Wainwright III (father of musicians Rufus and Martha), but it was not until now that he had a real chance to let him showcase the full breadth of his musical talents. This sort-of soundtrack to Knocked Up features Wainwright material that was in process before the film was, as well as songs that were presented as just straight score in the movie but given lyrics for the album. The result is a fantastic collection of new Wainwright music, his best in 15 years. His variety of musical styles, from folk to blues to rock, make the disc an easy choice for many, especially since his caustic, sometimes alienating edge is not in full effect here. This is Wainwright the grown-up, whose 60 years of life experience have made him more wise, not more soft. He communicates the laid-back joys of parenthood in “X or Y,” cutting through the stress of it all by spinning the “as long as it’s healthy” vibe, and in the catchy “Daughter,” which plays under the film’s credit roll, boasts, “That’s my daughter in the water/Everything she knows, I taught her.” This is a standalone album apart from the film, and without a wasted track in the mix, is one for any folk fan’s permanent library. –Elizabeth Meyer