Rufus Wainwright

[Free For All]

Regarding some non-jazz music........

I remember discovering Bjork's Vespertine recording through recommendations from either this or the old BNBB. I really enjoyed that one and still listen to it from time to time. How's the Vespertine DVD?

Anyway, recently I was listening to Dave Douglas' The Infinite - I've always really dug the first cut, Rufus Wainwright's "Poses". I hadn't been aware of RW before and was curious to hear what had inspired Dave Douglas so I picked up RW's Poses. Once again, I really like what I heard!

His tunes are very engaging (I got one stuck in my head for a couple days......) and contain interesting melodies, lyrics and, lo and behold, INTERESTING HARMONY! Something rare in popular music. Plus he's got a very listenable voice.

I perceived influences including John Lennon (and Beatles in general), Steely Dan, Queen and even Broadway-type music. There seem to be other influences as well, like a Randy Newman-type sense of humor.

There are also some great arrangements (effective use of strings and other oddball instruments) and some nice dense textures. Definitely not jazz, but a very enjoyable detour from the usual listening habits. I tend to put all music into two categories, anyway (good and bad). It's a lot of fun to listen to, and it's good traveling music too.

Anyone else like his stuff? Anything else of his I should check out?

[Brandon Burke]

I agree. Never owned any of his records but I think he's quite good. You should check out his interview on FRESH AIR. It's among the archived segments on their site so do a search. It's a good one and, if I remember right, he plays a song or two.

If you like him I also suggest the FRESH AIR interview with Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields. They both have a quasi-Broadway thing going on. 69 Love Songs by the Magnetic Fields is an all-time fave.

[Muskrat Ramble]

I haven't heard his music (yet), but I absolutely love the Dave Douglas cover you mentioned.

[Free For All]

  Muskrat Ramble said:

I haven't heard his music (yet), but I absolutely love the Dave Douglas cover you mentioned.

I recommend Wainwright's Poses, Muskrat. I don't claim to be an expert on pop stuff, but I really like this recording. The title tune is just as hip as Douglas's cover, IMHO. Check it out.

Very creative stuff, well executed.

[Rooster_Ties]

I have (and love) Rufus' first two albums. ("Poses" is the 2nd one, and I'm too lazy to look up the name of the first one.) I understand he also has a third album out too, just in the last few months, but I haven't picked it up yet --- but I certainly will, one of these days.

His tunes are very interesting, and the arrangements are great. And, his voice is really wonderful. He sings with a "full" voice nearly all the time, and I understand he was a vocal-performance major in college.

Hopefully he will have a very long career, and I look forward to hearing more for him in the future.

[Joe Christmas]

the boy comes from good genes, that's for sure.

Any fan of Wainwright might want to look into GREETINGS FROM MICHIGAN, from the equally talented Sufjan Stevens. Lots of similarities in the music of these two.