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::k4:
a r t i s t :: Rufus Wainwright
t i t l e :: Poses
d a t e :: 2001-06-05
l a b e l :: SKG Music
g e n r e :: Alternative
s o u r c e :: CD
b i t r a t e :: 235 kbps avg
e n c o d e r :: LAME
t r a c k s :: 13
p l a y t i m e :: 53:19
s i z e :: 94 MB
tracklist
1 Cigarettes And Chocolate Milk 4:44
2 Greek Song 3:56
3 Poses 5:02
4 Shadows 5:35
5 California 3:23
6 The Tower Of Learning 4:47
7 Grey Gardens 3:08
8 Rebel Prince 3:44
9 The Consort 4:25
10 One Man Guy 3:31
11 Evil Angel 4:43
12 In A Graveyard 2:22
13 Cigarettes And Chocolate Milk 3:59
(Reprise)
releasenotes
Talented chamber pop troubadour Rufus Wainwright followed up his startlingly
fresh debut album with the 2001 release Poses. While his self-titled first
album was very much a work by Wainwright (aided by his contributing
producers), Poses seems to be more of a group effort, with the young composer
allowing the other performers on the album to lend their talents, creating an
even fuller, more "live" sound. Both Wainwright's younger sister Martha and
son of British folk near-legends Richard and Linda Thompson, Teddy Thompson
contribute harmony vocals which soar above Rufus' affecting moan like the
choir he must hear in his head. Produced by Pierre Marchand (Sarah McLachlan),
the album continues the same outstretched, enveloping sound established by
Wainwright's earlier work, but contributors like contemporary composer Damian
le Gassick and Propellerheads' Alex Gifford push in different directions,
adding understated drum loops and gritty beats in unexpected places. Above all
of the studio gimcrackery and pedigreed guest stars floats Wainwright himself,
whose introspective, wry, and heart-wrenching songwriting remains his true
strength (although his leisurely operatic tenor is not far behind). The
clunking, loping "Greek Song" evokes the sprawl of an impossible Ingmar
Bergman spaghetti Western, while the swaggering "California" shows a sunny
exterior masking the song's satirical sneer. Amidst this sonic barrage, a high
point comes in the cover of patriarch Loudon Wainwright III's "One Man Guy."
Performed by Rufus, Martha, and Teddy Thompson's simple acoustic guitar, these
three grown children of the '70s folk movement embrace the song faithfully,
basking in their own harmonies and offering a respite from the blissfully lush
orchestral pop that surrounds it. While Poses shows growth and worthwhile
exploration, the album's "group" feel suffers only slightly from being less
intimate than Wainwright's first album. Although his contributors add much,
there was something blushingly personal about his debut that may have gotten a
little buried this time around. That being said, Poses is still a spectacular
album, brimming over with Wainwright's trademark popera and young romantic
wishes. At times the album is beautifully discordant and sonically chilling,
but often hints at warm grins with mischievous winks.
http://www.rufuswainwright.com
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