A delightful, melancholy album about fate, family, and middle age in Southern California.

Track Listing

1. Grey In L.A.
2. You Can't Fail Me Now
3. Daughter
4. Ypsilanti
5. So Much To Do
6. Valley Morning
7. X Or Y
8. Final Frontier
9. Feel So Good
10. Lullaby
11. Naomi
12. Doin' the Math
13. Strange Weirdos
14. Passion Play

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1657 in Music
• Released on: 2007-05-22
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack

Amazon.com
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

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Customer Reviews

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.

Great Introduction to LW3
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.

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!
My title says it all!!!!!!! THIS ALBUM IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!! Every song on this album is a truly great song!!! I'm not a big fan of Joe Henry, but he did a great job on his 2 tracks as well. I recommend this track to anyone and everyone I know!!! Get it!!!!