If My Wife New I'd Be Dead
| If My Wife New I'd Be Dead | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 25 February 2022 | |||
| Recorded | November 2019 – July 2021 | |||
| Studios |
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| Genre | Country pop[1] | |||
| Length | 51:00 | |||
| Labels |
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| Producer | Oli Deakin | |||
| CMAT chronology | ||||
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| Singles from If My Wife New I'd Be Dead | ||||
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If My Wife New I'd Be Dead is the debut studio album by Irish musician CMAT, released on 25 February 2022 through CMATBaby and AWAL. It was produced by Oli Deakin, and debuted at number one on the Irish Albums Chart. It received acclaim from critics and later won the Choice Music Prize for Album of the Year.[2]
The album includes the singles "I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby!" and "I Don't Really Care for You" from CMAT's debut EP Diet Baby.
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 85/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| And It Don't Stop | A[5] |
| Mojo | [6] |
| NME | [7] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[1] |
| Sputnikmusic |  [8] |
| XS Noize | 8/10[9] |
If My Wife New I'd Be Dead received a score of 85 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on nine critics' reviews.[3]
Mark Deming of AllMusic called it "a witty and thoroughly delightful debut" and felt that CMAT's "voice is strong enough and boasts enough personality to make her persona come to life, and her songs hit a charming midpoint between small-town gossip and show-stopping tunes from the West End musical that exists only in CMAT's mind".[4]
Mojo wrote that "five minutes in her personal company would likely be exhausting, but for this album's duration her brain salad music is fantastical".[6]
Lucy O'Toole of Hot Press wrote that the album was "undoubtedly one of the most thrilling Irish pop debuts of the century".[10]
Lisa Wright of DIY rated the album 4 stars and wrote that it feels like a more well-rounded, modern proposition than one solely indebted to the oldest style going could suggest."[11]
Music critic Robert Christgau wrote in his monthly column that the singer-songwriter was "gifted with a high IQ, a wide-open sense of humor, and an exuberant plus-size soprano with no discernible corners in it".[5] He ranked the album third on his 2023 Dean's List.[12]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nashville" | 5:16 |
| 2. | "I Don't Really Care for You" | 4:04 |
| 3. | "Peter Bogdanovich" | 4:37 |
| 4. | "No More Virgos" | 4:03 |
| 5. | "Lonely" | 4:44 |
| 6. | "Groundhog Day" | 4:42 |
| 7. | "Communion" | 2:59 |
| 8. | "Every Bottle (Is My Boyfriend)" | 4:48 |
| 9. | "2 Wrecked 2 Care" | 4:01 |
| 10. | "Geography Teacher" | 3:54 |
| 11. | "I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby!" | 5:10 |
| 12. | "I'd Want U" | 3:23 |
| Total length: | 51:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Geography Teacher" (Rock n Roll version) | 3:37 |
| 14. | "No More Virgos" (country version) | 4:25 |
| 15. | "Communion" (country version) | 3:54 |
| 16. | "I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby!" (acoustic) | 5:49 |
Personnel
- CMAT – vocals, guitar on "2 Wrecked 2 Care", Omnichord on "Peter Bogdanovich", banjo on "Geography Teacher" and "I'd Want You"
- Oli Deakin – producer, mixing, guitar, lap steel, banjo, bass guitar, piano, synthesizer, strings, percussion, glockenspiel, clarinet, Casiotone, Wurlitzer, organ
- Morgan Karabel - drums
- Joe Lambert – mastering
- Rachel O'Regan – artwork and layout
Charts
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[13] | 1 |
| Irish Independent Albums (IRMA)[14] | 1 |
References
- 1 2 Honeycomb, Jay (28 March 2022). "CMAT's Country Pop Debut Is a Fully-Formed Statement of Intent". PopMatters. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ↑ Hilliard, Mark (9 March 2023). "Choice Music Prize: CMAT's If My Wife New I'd Be Dead wins album of the year". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- 1 2 "If My Wife New I'd Be Dead by CMAT Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- 1 2 Deming, Mark. "CMAT – If My Wife New I'd Be Dead Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- 1 2 Christgau, Robert (8 February 2023). "Consumer Guide: February, 2023".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - 1 2 "CMAT – If My Wife New I'd Be Dead". Mojo. April 2022. p. 82.
- ↑ Kemp, Ella (1 March 2022). "CMAT – "If My Wife New I'd Be Dead" review: Irish newcomer looks on the bright side of life". NME. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ↑ Mathias, EMERITUS (11 March 2022). "CMAT – If My Wife New I'd Be Dead". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ↑ Hehir, Imelda (22 February 2022). "ALBUM REVIEW: CMAT – If My Wife New I'd Be Dead". XS Noize. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ↑ O'Toole, Lucy (4 March 2022). "Album Review CMAT If My Wife New I'd Be Dead". Hot Press. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022.
- ↑ Wright, Lisa (4 March 2022). "Cmat If My Wife New I'd Be Dead Review". DIY. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (26 January 2024). "Dean's List: 2023".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography CMAT". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ↑ "Irish Independent Chart – Week 10 2022 – Week Ending 11 Mar 2022". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 6 June 2026. Note: Select 2022 on the year selector and 04-Mar-22 on the date selector.