A soundtrack that actually outshines the movie
Sometimes it's difficult to rate a genre of music that I don't normally listen to. But be rest assured, the quality of musicianship on Strange Weirdos is unmatched. I heard "You Can't Fail Me Now" on the radio before I even saw Knocked Up. For me, this is the flagship piece in the album. Patrick Warren's subtle string arrangement at the bridge is so gorgeous that I rushed out to buy the cd. Now "gorgeous string arrangement" is a phrase that is oft abused, but you won't make that mistake here: the stateliness of the quartet is the core of that which makes perfect unions.

Though "Ypsilanti" (an instrumental) and Strange Weirdos incorporate the same string quartet and similar arrangements, "You Can't Fail Me Now" is the track when everything - lyrics, music, voice, arrangement - come together. Joe Henry, who co-wrote many of the songs on this soundtrack have stated that "You Can't...." was mostly his song. Enamoured with it as I was, I searched for the music of both Patrick Warren, who was responsible for the string arrangment and Joe Henry. Joe Henry released an album in 2007 called "Civilians" which also featured this song. Loudon Wainwright III also performs it live on the dvd extras of Knocked Up. Both versions are without string accompaniement, and to my ears, never quite attain the perfection of the track on this cd. So this version is not to be missed!

As for the rest of the soundtrack inspired by the movie, it's a mixture of what some may call "Neo-Folk," from Van Dyke Parks's accordion-laden opening measures of "Grey in L.A." (which could be read as a repartee to Randy Newman's "I Love in L.A.") to the bluesy honky-tonk "So Much To Do" and "Feel So Good" to the shuffle of "X Or Y" and "Passion Play," the slow 3/4 waltz of "Final Frontier. "Daughter" stands out as perhaps another installment of the ongoing lyrical skirmishes (Father/Daughter dialogue) between Loudon and his musician daughter Martha, who wrote "Bloody MF ****ole" in honor of her dad.

"Lullaby" though a quiet, stately piece musically, contains lyrics that one can't help reading into, given Wainwright's tumultuous parenthood in real life. (He is also the dad of Rufus Wainwright) "Naomi" is another instrumental which is the only piece that sounds remotely like something used in the movie.

Upbeat "Passion Play" closes out a remarkable cd that includes Richard Thompson on electric guitar, Greg Leisz, a host of skillful supporting musicians and the Section Quartet. A plausible and logical combination for a sountrack to an implausible movie about an implausible union.

I'm not disappointed
I haven't rushed to play the CD over and over, but neither do I rush over to skip it; it does provide pleasant background music. The only tracks I find myself singing along to are (predictably) Grey in LA and Daughter.

Waters Will Rise
"Oh, take off her clothes and throw her in the river, Wash her body & stick it in the sun; Give that gal everything you can give her, you can give her the bullets if you can give her the gun." Loudon Wainwright III hooked me with these strange weirdo lyrics on "Glenville Reel/The Suicide Song" from Album II. What a powerful little blast of wit, humor & double-entendre! Most of his music is in my collection including his delightful swing contribution of "After You've Gone" to the soundtrack album of The Aviator.

I loved the movie "Knocked Up," one of the few comedies where I actually break out laughing. When I heard Wainwright's voice, I knew I had to check out this album. Of the many strong songs, three are currently my very favorites. "You Can't Fail Me Now" written by Loudon & Joe Henry is a lovely song with a melody that reflects for me sticking with a relationship even through hard times, "We're taught to love the worst of us & mercy more than life, but trust me: Mercy's just a warning shot across the bow; I live for yours and you can't fail me now." It's a song born of experience and tempered by great love. Peter Blegvad wrote "Daughter" that is a perfect fit for Loudon's wry delivery, "That's my daughter in the water, everything she owns, I bought her. ... Everything she takes, she takes apart." (Reminds me of my daughter who would tie one doll arm to one doorknob and the other to another just to see how far they would stretch. ... We wound up with a number of disabled Barbies.) Mose Allison's "Feel So Good" is a sweet shuffle that sets your toe tapping and puts a smile on my face everytime it plays. The opening track "Grey in L.A." is a great soundtrack for modern life, "And I suppose that they'll close canyon roads & the freeways will all start to clog & the waters will rise & you won't be surprised when your whole house smells like your wet dog." "X or Y" boasts Wainwright's classic witty lyric, "It might feel like fun, but some work's been done; It's not just sex, it's Y or X." Joe Henry's moody instrumental "Naomi" also fascinates. This set hangs together as a great album. Enjoy!

Awesome...great lyrics
Saw the movie, bought the CD and I'm sure glad I did. The lyrics to Grey in LA is certainly an original idea, almost shades of Don McLean. I highly recommend this CD.

Lee...
Long Beach CA

Strange Weirdos
The CD arrived exactly as described and exactly when I was told to expect it. The music is very truthful in its emotional content. I purchased it for the song "Daughter", but enjoy the entire album.