CMAT – Crazymad, For Me
On the follow-up to last year's If My Wife New I'd Be Dead, CMAT finds an even sweeter spot – Crazymad, For Me is funnier, weirder, more colourful and more ambitious
On her debut, If My Wife New I’d Be Dead, CMAT found an instant sweet spot. She’s a funny lyricist, but the jokes don’t grow stale on repeats. She flirts with kitschy country and Americana without drifting into novelty. She can go to number one on the album charts in her native Ireland, and sound like she’s making all the decisions (no record exec is going to push for a song named Vincent Kompany or Peter Bogdanovich, not even for SEO purposes).
Now, she’s on the telly. She’s being shouted out by her hero Robbie Williams, and is poised for indie-pop stardom. In response to the well-earned attention, her second album Crazymad, For Me finds an even sweeter spot. It’s funnier, weirder, and plays with a more colourful blend of Americana. It also reveals more depth and ambition. For one, it’s a breakup album that’s not shy about admitting flaws in its protagonist.
'I have the constitution of lemon and lime / I’m fizzy and I can’t make up my mind', goes one line in the record’s masterful middle stretch, which is packed with character, multi-part epics and genuine singalongs. And when the songs get deep, she tosses in a one-liner to sweeten the deal: 'I’m the Queen of England, drinking babies’ wine / I’m Lizzy and I can’t make up my mind'. The jokes can’t get stale when the songs are this good.
Listen to: Such a Miranda, Where Are Your Kids Tonight?, Can’t Make Up My Mind