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.

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

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.

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".

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".

Lucy O'Toole of Hot Press wrote that the album was "undoubtedly one of the most thrilling Irish pop debuts of the century".

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."

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". He ranked the album third on his 2023 Dean's List.

Track listing

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 performance for If My Wife New I'd Be Dead Chart (2022) Peakposition Irish Independent Albums (IRMA) Note: Select 2022 on the year selector and 04-Mar-22 on the date selector. 1

References