975. Rufus Wainwright - Want One (2003)

Track Listing

1. Oh What A World
2. I Don't Know What It Is
3. Vicious World
4. Movies Of Myself
5. Pretty Things
6. Go Or Go Ahead
7. Vibrate
8. 14th Street
9. Natasha
10. Harvester Of Hearts
11. Beautiful Child
12. Want
13. 11:11
14. Dinner At Eight

Review

So we start our gay musicians triptych with Rufus Wainwright, and if ever an artist deserved the epithet of "fabulous" this is it. This is particularly true of both Want One and Two, two amazing albums of pretty unique musical pieces tied together by huge emotional honestly and musical bombast.

Rufus is clearly influenced by musicals and not so much opera but operetta, his music uses arrangements to great emotional effectiveness in a way that was practically absent from his contemporaries. Interestingly enough he does this by giving each track its unique identity.

This is one of those rare albums that hardly ever gets tiring, even while they are clearly songs by the same artist they are also completely distinct from each other. While his nasally voice might be somewhat distracting for those making first contact with him, the sheer artistry and epic scope of his "pop-songs" will soon win almost anyone over. A truly great album.

Track Highlights

1. Dinner at Eight
2. I Don't Know What It Is
3. Oh What A World
4. Go or Go Ahead

Final Grade

10/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Want One features guest vocals from Martha Wainwright, Joan Wasser, Teddy Thompson and Linda Thompson, as well as a banjo solo in "14th Street" by Wainwright's mother Kate McGarrigle.

Dinner at Eight: