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Rufus Wainwright
 
I didn't know mutton chops were back in 1998!
Albums
 
Rufus Wainwright (1998)
 
 
8.5/10
 

Producer: Jon Brion, Pierre Marchand

  1. Foolish Love
  2. Danny Boy
  3. April Fools
  4. In My Arms
  5. Millbrook
  6. Baby
  7. Beauty Mark
  8. Barcelona
  9. Matinee Idol
  10. Damned Ladies
  11. Sally Ann
  12. Imaginary Love

This is the self-titled debut album by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright.  It is pretty fair to say that Rufus didn’t just fall into this line of work by chance.  He is the son of Folk icons Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, and he is also the brother to fellow performer Martha Wainwright.
 

The first time I heard Rufus Wainwright was on Jools Holland. He performed a song named Vibrate, from his album Want One.  The simplicity of the song, when coupled with his unique voice, left me spellbound.  I had never heard music like this before!  I swiftly got onto Play.com and bought up his back catalogue.  I mustn’t have been any older than 15 at the time…   I immediately found myself out of my depth.  I had only just made the transition from listening to 50 Cent to Ice Cube, and I was just starting to appreciate David Bowie.  In my attempts to make my small music collection more credible I had shot myself in the foot.  The albums found themselves excluded to the nethermost region of my CD rack.
 

That was until today.  This very afternoon I told myself, “Right D, of late you’ve been listening to way too much Cure and Talking Heads.  You’re gonna turn into a New Wave/Gothic Ferret and combust if you aren’t careful.”
 

So what could I do about it? The answer was simple, “I know, I’ll listen to Rufus; I know he’d want me to.  I reckon I can handle the albums now.  I’m 18 after all, I mean, I can drive and drink, even at the same time, so surely I can listen to a man at his piano.”  I often have conversations with myself, people call me crazy, but putting on this debut album by Rufus Wainwright was the best thing I’ve done in weeks.


Foolish Love is such a good opening song that I want to bust-a-move just thinking about it.  It’s like basking in the sun while a beautiful woman (or man - depends how u swing) fans you with a folded copy of The Guardian and feeds you grapes.  It’s like drinking wine from a prestigious Viking’s goblet.  It’s like eating the last Solero on a summer’s day and then laughing when your sister comes in asking for it.  Whichever you happen to pick, the song is majestic and Rufus sounds like an enormous talent from the off.  It’s just him at the piano singing his heart out, and the jaunty change in tempo at the 2 minute mark causes it to become a jazz/swing number.  Rufus seamlessly makes the transition from gentle piano ballad to over-the-top cabaret.
 

Anything named Danny Boy induces fear, as it recalls hours of misspent youth enduring the torment my siblings used to poke at me because of my namesake.  Gladly this has nothing in common with old Irish jigs, but has lots in common with the well written Foolish Love.  Rufus has quite the tremulous voice and this is showcased wonderfully here.  The following April Fools is all summery and full of life.  The piano is still present, but takes a backseat in favour of guitars.  The acoustic guitar provides the main driving rhythm, while the electric guitar is used to great effect as a support instrument.  The chorus is thrilling and it makes me feel so happy, “You will believe in love, and all that it’s supposed to be.”  Martha Wainwright adds some excellent backing vocals too.
 

I’m not a big fan of In My Arms.  Unfortunately the instrumental side of things is a little neglected, confusing laziness for minimalism, and Rufus sounds very hoarse in places.  The lyrics are excellent as usual, detailing the longing to re-live a short-lived relationship.   Baby comes complete with a professional orchestra, conducted by Van Dyke Parks.  Rufus is careful not to allow the song to become over-powered by the substantial backing, and your attention remains drawn to the lyrics and his voice.  You see, it’s all about creative control!
 

Beauty Mark is a playful little number with an excellent provision of percussion at hand.  Sure, it is still primarily a ballad, but the rolling piano keys and yearning vocals between verses ensure it rolls along at a speedy pace.  It is little more than 2 minutes long and would have made an ideal single.   Barcelona is stupendous entertainment.  It features a very professional and restrained performance, which in turn ensures that it is a success.  Nothing is pompous or over-blown; it is simply well written and arranged to absolute perfection.  The chamberlin (a keyboard instrument to the uninitiated) provides exquisite classical backing and gives any of the genuine orchestra tracks a run for their money.


At this point the album takes a rather dark and more melancholy approach to the style of songs.  Matinee Idol has truly maniacal backing, with the marimba sounding positively mischievous and recalling the madness of a circus.  All the fun of seeing women on stilts and an elephant carrying a dwarf, but at a fraction of the price!   Damned Ladies features no such surprises and is possibly the worst song on the album.  It plods along like a hippo in a mud bath and promises to become a challenging piece of music, but before you know it the song has finished and you’re still at square one.
 

Imaginary Love is a fine end to an impressive album.  While the drums are almost walking into programmed loop territory, the shimmering guitar lines keep the credible side of things alive.  Rufus sounds charming throughout and his vocals glide effortlessly from one set of lyrics to the next.
 

Upon the release of this debut, accolades were showered down upon Rufus, including Rolling Stone naming him 1998’s best new artist.  And who am I to argue? The man creates some magic at that piano of his and the arrangements are often second to none.
 

P.S. If you hadn’t noticed I was glad that I picked it up off the CD rack again.
 
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Poses (2001)
 
 
8/10
 
Producer: Pierre Marchand, Greg Wells, Alex Gifford & more
  1. Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk
  2. Greek Song
  3. Poses
  4. Shadows
  5. California
  6. The Tower of Learning
  7. Grey Gardens
  8. Rebel Prince
  9. The Consort
  10. One Man Guy
  11. Evil Angel
  12. In a Graveyard
  13. Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk (Reprise)
Poses is the second studio album by Rufus Wainwright.  This time around Wainwright has created a far more varied and diverse offering than his operatic debut; perhaps then, it is not surprising to find that many different people helped produce and mould the shape of this record, while Wainwright took an extended stay in the Chelsea Hotel, Manhattan, New York.
 

Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk is Wainwright’s ode to self-indulgence and the subtle addictions which rule our day to day lives.  “Cigarettes and chocolate milk, these are just a couple of my cravings.  Everything it seems I like is a little bit stronger, a little bit thicker, a little bit harmful for me”, sings Rufus, with a sizeable measure of mischievousness and curiosity.  It isn’t quite up to the standards of the opening Foolish Love from his debut, but all the same it is still a great listen.  But what is up to that standard is the delicious Greek Song.  The musicianship is extremely adventurous and incorporates all matter of Asian instruments, but what stands out the most is the delightfully whimsical melody, which is pinned down by a luscious mandolin section.
 

So, the theatrics are still there, we have established that, but this time the record is fleshed out by a more rock-orientated rhythm section – enter Shadows.  The forceful rhythm is provided by the straight-laced funk guitar and drum section, which is then built upon by subtle introductions of both piano and clarinet.  Things reach a cinematic zenith during the multi-layered vocal harmonies, which for your information could give Pet Sounds era Beach Boys a run for their money.
 

California is probably one of the most easily categorised songs in Rufus’ entire career.  The music carries many influences derived from Americana, complete with an energetic mish-mash of acoustic and electric guitars.  It is also one of Rufus’ most concise songs, with a running time of less than 3 minutes 30 seconds.
 

The superb Rebel Prince couldn’t be any gayer if it were wearing hot pants and offering you a cocktail with a little umbrella in it.  Throughout, the densely textured vocal harmonies are classy to say the very least; in particular they excel during the introduction, where they are given the chance to stand all on their lonesome.  I love it at the 55 seconds mark where a little piano refrain kicks in and Rufus ups his game and sings, “Where is my master the Rebel Prince? Back breaking everything, trying to get to me…”
 

Not surprisingly, the one cover song here, One Man Guy – which was written by Rufus’ father, Loudon Wainwright III – sounds entirely different to anything else on Poses.  Rather than playing down its folk music origins, Rufus embraces them and turns it into an enjoyably euphoric elegy to bachelorism, complete with enticing vocal harmonies. In other news, Evil Angel should not have made the final cut.  Allegedly written by Rufus after being seduced and exploited by a journalist in France, it is a very misguided stab at creating an uneasy atmosphere full of regret.  Sure, the introduction is fine and reasonably menacing, but from there on in it is all down hill.
 

Things come full circle and close with a reprise of Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk.  It’s essentially the same song, but with a few changes made to the instrumental side of things.  For example, there is now a heavy reliance on drum loops, which unfortunately seem to take away more than they add, but as the song goes on it develops further and the additional orchestration starts to flourish and come into its own.
 

To conclude, Poses is a fantastic second album, but it is slightly inferior to Rufus Wainwright’s self-titled debut.  I realise that I had nary a bad word to say about it in my review, but this was because I wanted to concentrate on the album’s numerous highlights, rather than the few lowlights which bring it down a couple of points.
 

So, is Poses essential listening? I’d say so, yes.
 
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