Haven’t Got the Blues (Yet) is Loudon Wainwright III's 26th album. This 14-song (48 min, 08 sec) LP deals with varied subjects including depression, drinking, senior citizenship, gun control, heartbreak, pet ownership and New York City’s arcane practice of alternate side-of-the-street parking. But it mostly deals with these subjects tongue in cheek...

Haven’t Got the Blues (Yet) isn't just a multi-genre album of beautiful songs, it's also hilariously funny, as Wainwright takes a sideways look at the world around us.

Using The Big Bopper’s classic 'Chantilly Lace', as inspiration, Wainwright's opening track, 'Brand New Dance' examines one man's awareness of aging through diminishing mobility issues. 'Spaced' takes a look at car parking. Yup, how can you write and perform a song about such a tedious subject matter? Well, Wainwright does... and somehow makes it sound more interesting than it should be. 'In a Hurry' see's Wainwright's observation of a homeless man who everyday witnesses a business man leaving the train station in a rush. 'The Morgue' sees a man having to identify the body of an ex-lover in the morgue. 'Man & Dog' explores a man and his dog that live in the city, and the difficulties that this entails. And 'I'll Be Killing You This Christmas', sounds like your cliched, classic classic song, but with a modern, dark, Wainwright twist.

Some of these tracks were written for TV. 'The Morgue' was originally commissioned by Judd Apatow for an episode of Undeclared. Likewise, 'Harlan County' was written as a theme song for the TV show Justified. Both tracks were rejected - which is good news for us.

But it's not all fun and twisted lyrics. Beautiful tracks in their own right include 'I Knew Your Mother' and 'Looking at the Calendar'.

This is a wonderful album that will bring a smile to even the most miserable of souls.

8

Nick Smithson