Christina Martin really knows how to come for our hearts, and her new album is proof of that. Wonderful Lie is a passion project that incorporates covers of classics as well as a handful of Martin’s original tracks. The arrangement has been stripped down to basics for the most part. Martin’s vocals and warm guitar serve as the main pillars that support the album’s entirety. The result is all the intimacy of a concert in a small room, paired with the polish of a full-band album.
Even though Martin does include her own songs, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that it’s, at its core, a cover album. Martin’s overhauled her own songs and given them the same bare-bones treatment. It’s always interesting to see an artist do this with their own work. No one knows the inner workings of a song like the person who wrote it, and Martin proves this with remarkable ease.
“It’ll Be Alright” is much gentler than its angst-driven counterpart, but Martin still keeps that sense of urgency in this version. That driving force of the guitar is still present, and still keeps the song steaming forward, but it’s much softer and more understated. Meanwhile, the hopeful message of “Where the Dark Meets the Light” ends up feeling all the more poignant.
The one song that doesn’t get the acoustic treatment is “Finsbury Park,” which opens with a steady drumbeat. Next to all the dreamy acoustics it might stand out like a sore thumb, but Martin weaves it seamlessly among the rest of the tracks. It’s more of an interesting outlier than something that doesn’t truly belong.
However, the bulk of the album is the work of other artists. Right out of the gate we’re able to tell the kind of emotion we’re dealing with on this album. Martin’s rendition of “The Winner Takes It All” by ABBA is raw and daunting in the sense that it sets a high bar for the rest of the album. It never really gains the momentum of the original, making it all the more heartbreaking.
Martin tackles other classics such as “Make You Feel My Love” by Bob Dylan, and adds her name to the long list renditions of “Love Hurts” by the Boudleaux Bryant. A trend quickly becomes apparent with these covers. She’s able to take the original emotion of any song and both preserve and amplify it at the same time. The familiarity of it all only adds to the feeling of being serenaded in a small room. The high standards she set for herself in the first track carry through all the way to the end.
The album is officially released today, and with it comes the start of a Canada-wide tour to promote the release that will run straight into the end of November. The very nature of the album will lend itself well to the long string of shows. After listening to it once, it already feels like you’re there in the best way possible.
Tour Dates:
09.20.19 – Botwood, NL @ House Concert*
09.21.19 – Twillingate, NL @ House Concert*
09.22.19 – Gander, Canada @ House Concert*
09.23.19 – Freshwater, NL @ Freshwater Community Centre*
09.24.19 – Georges Brook, NL @ShaMaSha Centre*
09.26.19 – St. John’s, NL @ The Black Sheep*
09.27.19 – Port Rexton, NL @ Two Whales Coffee Shop
09.28.19 – Pasadena, NL @ The Vinyl Garage House Concert
10.03.19 – Napanee, ON @ Ellena’s Cafe
10.04.19 – Renfrew, ON @Batstones Northern Ramble
10.05.19 – Wakefield, QC @ Kaffe 1870
10.06.19 – Trenton, ON @ The Old Church Theatre
10.08.19 – Middlesex County, ON @ Mellville United Church
10.09.19 – Greater Sudbury, ON @ Fromagerie
10.11.19 – Sault Ste. Marie, ON @ LopLops Lounge
10.12.19 – Thunder Bay, ON @ Algoma House
10.15.19 – Winnipeg, MB @ House Concert*
10.16.19 – Winnipeg, MB @ House Concert*
10.17.19 – Rossburn, MB @ House Concert*
10.18.19 – Wawanesa, MB @ House Concert*
10.19.19 – Boissevain, MB @ House Concert*
10.20.19 – Cartwright, MB @ House Concert*
10.22.19 – Pilot Mound, MB @ House Concert*
10.23.19 – Holland, MB @ House Concert*
10.24.19 – Altona, MB @ House Concert*
10.25.19 – Winnipeg, MB @ House Concert*
10.26.19 – Winnipeg, MB @ House Concert*
10.31.19 – Regina, SK @ Artesian
11.03.19 – Valleyview, AB @ House Concert
11.04.19 – Calgary, AB @ Ironwood
11.07.19 – Vancouver, BC @ The Heatly
11.08.19 – Township Of Langley, BC @ Bez Art Hub
11.09.19 – Penticton, BC @ The Dream Cafe
11.13.19 – Saskatoon, SK @ The Bassmnt
11.14.19 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Sunset Saloon House Concert
11.15.19 – Dryden, ON @ Midtown Stage
11.16.19 – Red Lake, ON @ House Concert
11.19.19 – Toronto, ON @ Hugh’s Room
11.20.19 – Montreal, QC @ House Concert
11.20.19 – Fredericton, NB @ Tipsy Muse
11.23.19 – Oxford, NS @ Oxford Capital Theatre
11.29.19 – Halifax, NS @ The Carleton
*via Home Routes