Do I disappoint you? bellows singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright in the opening song on his first album in nearly three years.
No, Mr. Wainwright, you most certainly do not.
Ten years and four albums later, Wainwright is topping off an already extensive career with what could be his best work yet. While his first four studio releases experienced relative commercial and critical success, it is this album that could launch him into the icon status he deserves.
Release the Stars is a mixture of all that makes Wainwright the musical genius he boasts of being. For him, bigger is most certainly better ' every song is heavy with metaphors, allusions and an orchestra of every sound imaginable. The aforementioned Do I Disappoint You showcases his witty, self-deprecating songwriting style and a vocal range not to be doubted. Chaos! Destruction! he shouts in a voice as sweet and thick as syrup.
What follows is neither chaos nor destruction but a well-crafted array of songs that will appeal to listeners on many levels. Going to a Town is the album's first single, which is accompanied by a beautiful music video ' a gem for any Wainwright lover, as he rarely makes music videos. The song is one of Wainwright's signature disdainful melodies. I'm so tired of America
he sings lackadaisically.
Between My Legs has been a crowd favorite at shows for several years, and listeners will be sure to appreciate the novelty of this very uncharacteristic song. It begins with a cheesy guitar melody that sounds like something one would hear in a cowboy bar. But gradually it transcends into a masterpiece showcase of Wainwright's many musical abilities. His coy innuendo will amuse listeners while they rock out to this one-of-a-kind Wainwright track.
Tulsa is a baroque, instrumental-heavy track that ends as fast as it begins. It bleeds right into Leaving for Paris a slow melody laced with continuous piano chords and Wainwright's somber vocals.
Wainwright ends with Release the Stars a finale befitting for a Broadway show. He croons as if in a 1930s club surrounded by the black-and-white stars of yesteryear.
The entire album is a microcosm of Wainwright's career. Some songs are fast and loud, displaying a voice meant for big theaters with red-velvet chairs and plush curtains. The use of brass instruments is undeniable; trumpets and trombones blare in all their glory, juxtaposed by the gentle melodies of pianos and string instruments.
For this album, I will release the stars, for it deserves not only five but all of the stars that shine brightly in the sky.
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Kathleen Keish
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