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Rufus
Wainwright says he set out to make a
stripped-down, straightforward record,
but his penchant for theatrical
songcraft in recent years tarnished his
credibility on that score. Indeed, his
latest is downright operatic from the
start: Lead-off track Do I Disappoint
You resonates with the plucked
strings of violins, dramatic flourishes
from woodwinds and a full-on brass
crescendo as the song nears its end.
Release the Stars doesn't get any
lower key from there. It's a glorious
tangle of excess as Wainwright indulges
himself on a dozen songs about friends,
lovers and contemporaries. A simple
piano intro on Nobody's Off the Hook
soon swells with pastoral orchestration,
and busy strings chase other through
Tulsa as Wainwright sings in a
vibrato as lush as his musical
arrangements. He permits himself a
moment of reflection on Going to a
Town, which mourns an increasingly
strident current of intolerance in
American life, and he sings from the
perspective of someone whose beauty is
mistaken for character and soul on Do
I Disappoint You. Mostly, though,
Release the Stars feels like the
equivalent of an idyllic summer garden
party, where the host is charming and
the music is verdant and rich. (Geffen) |
