Track Listing

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

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6908 in Music
• Brand: DreamWorks
• Released on: 1998-05-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.com
The singer/songwriters working today who point to Tin Pan Alley and Broadway musicals as central inspirations can be counted on an index finger. Rufus Wainwright is quite an anomaly--but, then again, he's the son of Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle. Wainwright has been compared to Randy Newman for his piano-based orchestral sense, but unlike Newman, he rarely turns those poppy conventions against themselves: he's always sentimental and sincere about the fluff he explores. When he drives his melodies and lyrics hardest--as on the Beatlesque "April Fools" and the barroom "Matinee Idol"--his considerable imagination is most convincing and entertaining. Fans of folk simplicity should skip this one, but the more adventurous may find the charm in Wainwright's ambitious debut. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews

God's Gift
Rufus Wainwright is an unfortunately little-known singer/songwriter with a very strong, very loyal cult following. His debut self-titled debut album is tpyical of what has become Rufus' own genre of sorts. Yes, his own genre, because there is absolutely nothing like Rufus' work. His music is hauntingly original, using varied instruments to acheive a near-perfect range of sound.

This album has no profound information regarding a bad childhood, inner-city living, or even the trials of the working man. It is an eclectic assortment of music that reflects the little things of life like love. Rufus' voice exudes the emotion that the listener begins to feel from listening to the elegant lyrics flowing effortlessly from their speakers. This album has been the most enjoyably diverse that I have purchased in 12 months.

Promising, if over-rated, debut
Okay, so what if Randy Newman had been a young gay man steeped in Tin Pan Alley and showtunes instead of Southern California sarcasm and movie soundtracks? Then you may have gotten a debut similar to Rufus Wainright's. When this album came out in 1998, it received an unbelievable amount of hype, with Rolling Stone going as far as calling it one of the best albums of the year. Naturally curious, I picked it up.

I was left to scratch my head and wonder what all the fuss was about. Yes, Rufus was eccentric and somewhat original, he had the family pedigree to back it all up genetically, but this debut CD was nowhere near the great white hope it was being written up as. In fact, with the exception of three songs, I still find it to be precocious and grating. But it was those three songs....

"Foolish Love" certainly courted the Newman comparisons. The piano arrangement brought a lyrical flair forward that made the disc start off with promise. "April Fool" certainly borrowed liberally from Elton John, The Beatles and the Beach Boys and made for a pretty decent video (and was one of the things that moved me to buy this disc). And "Barcelona" captured a simple acoustic beauty that would burst forth in full bloom several years later when "Poses" was released. In fact, I was so underwhelmed by this debut that I didn't even get "Poses" when it was first released; it was Rufus' version of "Across The Universe" that made me ask "is that the same guy?" and go pick it up.

So while I still listen to this from time to time, if you're curious as to why Rufus Wainwright gets the cultish devotion he actually does deserve, his debut is NOT the place to start. I'd suggest picking up "Poses" if you're a fan of singer songwriters first, or if you're more into lush arrangements and Pop-Opera, go with "Want One." They are both much more mature and focused records. "Rufus Wainwright" is the sound of a young man given too much rope, but getting his musical wild oats out of his system.

The rise and fall of Rufus Wainwright
Romantic, tragic, lush, beautiful. All words that come to mind every time I pop the self-titled debut, masterfully recorded by Rufus Wainwright (1998), into my CD player. He is a new face on the music scene, but his lazily poetic voice brings to life songs which tell the tale of a man who has definitly payed his dues in love and life. In songs such as, Beauty mark, April Fools and Mill Brook, Rufus lifts you up with playful beats and an up tempo. However, with songs such as In My Arms, Barcelona and Baby, he pulls you down to the depths of the tragic opera of chance, change and heartache. This is a brilliant collaboration of music. It is far enough from the main stream, gen-X, cookie cutter music that has been produced in this decade. but, not so far that it doesn't lack the connection to the same pit falls and triumph that this generation knows all too well. If remarkable talent is what causes a star to rise..Rufus Wainwright is the next big thing! And if you dig this CD, go see him in concert...these tunes sound even better live!