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Rufus Wainwright - Rufus Wainwright Audio CD

A fair review of the Rufus Wainwright "Rufus Wainwright" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Rufus Wainwright reviews here, or go back to the Rufus Wainwright tabs.

Rufus Wainwright Band: Rufus Wainwright
Title: Rufus Wainwright
Rating:
Release Date: 1998-05-19
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 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

Good stuff!
Keep up the good stuff young man! . I like most of his early work, he a talented young man and says some different things and he stands out.


one of his best albums
for his most earliest work, it shows a lot of talent.


A true original
I was lucky enough to catch him in concert (at a small Indiana college) a few years back in support of "Poses" and he was just amazing. Rufus is one of the best musicians around. His eponymous debut CD is vivacious, out there (in more ways than one), catchy, meaningful, and Broadway-esque (I've often thought that a few of the songs could make a great soundtrack for a Broadway musical). I have every CD that Rufus has put out there, but Foolish Love (the first song on his first CD) has always been my very favorite of all his great tunes. By the way, just to put in a word for another under-appreciated artist, his father, the great Loudon Wainwright III, is certainly worth checking out (he has a gazillion CD's) if you have any appreciation for Rufus. .


Why isn't this guy better known..GENIUS
Ahhh. Rufus awsome crafting of music and lyric & great songs,but no one gets to hear much of you. They're sad loss those of us who have discoverd you will always look for more from you. . Stand out tracks . . Danny boy. . foolish love. . april fools. . barcelona.


Interesting debut that gets better with every listening
The younger crowd was all abuzz , showing lots of love early for the boy, something his dad could have used a bit more of. Being a fan of Loudon Wainwright III's music for many years, I was curious about what kind of songs his son might turn out.

I picked up this disc several years ago. I gave it a listen, and then put it away again until I was ripping music to fill my new mp3 player.

I've listened to it over five times today.

Before posting this, I read ALL 177 prior reviews. I cannot believe that the two opposite camps are discussing the same CD. What the `Pro-Rufus' group says is great, the `Con-Rufus' group tears down, and vice versa. Controversy always follows the provocative, especially if it has merit or value. Otherwise, no one would care about it.

Most of the the reviews are either "5 star" or "1 star", there are hardly any twos or threes. Regardless, the one thing out of line are the rating numbers, especially those based on Wainwright's smoldering good looks or his alternative lifestyle. Folks, this is a music CD. Let's keep our comments focused on the musical content.

I agree that his music defies genre. It's not what typically passes as `singer-songwriter' fare. I think this CD might reflect what Rufus' first Broadway-musical might end up sounding like. He has that kind of potential.

Yes, the album is overproduced. Sometimes this is good and adds to the melody and lyric like on `Barcelona' or `Matinee Idol'. Other times it comes off bloated and unnecessary, as in `Baby', `Damned Ladies', or `Millbrook'.

In his 11/30/99 review, the prolific reviewer "music fan" made a perceptive observation: "Wainwright made his debut much in the same way Rickie Lee Jones did". . . Yes, I remember the same kind of controversy about Rickie Lee. You either liked her vocal style or not. And a lot of people felt strongly about it either way.

I'm a great fan of Loudon's music, and back in the day it took a few listens to get used to his voice, too. The bright spot with Rufus is that he doesn't need to sing in that whiny nasally way all the time. 'Beauty Mark' and `April Fools' are evidence of that. It all comes down to whether you like his vocal stylings or not.

My other difficulty is that I can't always grasp what it is he's singing about. Another reviewer said "his love songs are so personal that they really portait true emotion". Maybe that's the problem, the love songs ARE too personal. Why do I struggle with it? Is it because I'm a straight, middle-aged dad, is it because I'm just not hip anymore, or are the songs genuinely obtuse? I think I like `Sally Ann' and `Barcelona', but what are they about? Beautiful melodies with cryptic lyrics don't always make friends of their listeners.

There are bright spots in this disc, but you have to listen to it a good many times to hear them, a factor that hampers the music's accessibility. Sister Martha's clear background vocals are a precious contribution. `Beauty Mark', `In My Arms', and `April Fools' are easily my favorite songs.

If you are undecided on whether to purchase `Rufus Wainwright', I suggest you borrow a copy or take one out from the Library before you buy it.

Because in order to give this its due, you truly must give it several listenings. Therefore, I will burn this disc to my mp3 player after all, and give it a few more listens. Some of these songs truly sound better every time I hear them.


You can see a complete list of all Rufus Wainwright discography, or go back to the Rufus Wainwright tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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