Rufus Wainwright - Beautiful Child (2003)
Music video by Rufus Wainwright performing Beautiful Child. (C) 2004 SKG Music L.L.C.
Rufus Wainwright. All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu
Rufus Wainwright
All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu
Pop / Singer-Songwriter
Release: April 20, 2010
Label: Decca
Best Song: True Love
Rating: mmmmm
Have you noticed, that classical music is never composed for a large audience in popular music culture (apart from film-scores, maybe)? Well, here comes Mr Wainwright, proving us wrong.
Wainwright enters a stage that pompous pop-acts hardly ever dare to enter: He relies completely on his extraordinary voice and the piano, not a single set of drums or other instruments is used. Wainwright is known for his dramatic arrangements, esp. when we take a look back to releases such as the “Want”-series. He fancied himself a show-man, often in a very clumsy but charming way. He did Judy Garland-evenings and was constantly talking about writing an opera.
“All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu” is far away from a loud opera, but it’s the most classical piece of work Rufus Wainwright has ever written. He sets three of Shakespeare’s Sonnets to music, in a very simple yet brilliant way.
The opener, “Who Are You New York” reminds of “The Art Teacher”, only that the piano is more complexly used and the lyrics are more abstract. “Martha” is a story-teller that sometimes makes you smile, while ”Sad As I Am” is (guess what?) deeply sad and melancholic. The sonnets are haunting, esp No. 43 has an eery and almost scary feel to it in playing with a lot of dissonance.
Even though you can’t call this album diversified, it never gets boring, which makes Wainwright, in his own sad way, a brilliant entertainer. Even though it’s a sad compilation of songs, probably inspired by his mother Kate McGarrigle’s cancer-desease from which she died in January, it fails to depress. There’s always an inkling of hope swinging in the keys.
