Arts & Entertainment
Gay Music Festival
Takes Main Stage
The Rebel Prince
The Rebel Prince
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Poses, Rufus Wainwright’s second album released by Dreamworks, begins where his first album left off. There was a lot of expectation for this recording, especially since his debut was unanimously acclaimed by critics and was eventually voted best new artist by Rolling Stone magazine.
This second album is more accessible than his first primarily because his voice is, well, not so annoying. It is an acquired taste. At times, though, it seems that he’s sucked down too many cigarettes and has started a wrestling match with his tongue.
Unlike his first album, Poses does not take repeated listens to appreciate. His incredible songwriting abilities are center stage this time around, barely distracted by his singing voice.
It is not until midway through the 12 track album that we get the already classic chill-inducing moment he has the talent to induce, as he sings: “All the sights of Paris/Pale inside your iris/Tip the Eiffel Tower.” This line, from the song, “The Tower of Learning”, reveals his impressive songwriting skills, his operatic voice, and his power of creating unique musical moments that are missing from pop music these days, all at once. Pierre Marchand, best-known for his production work for Sarah McLachlan and Ashley MacIsaac, produces much of this work. Marchand produced the gorgeous yet flawed “In Your Arms” from Rufus’s debut album. Though Poses uses three different producers, the cohesive quality of the album, a defining trait of major musicians, is not sacrificied due to the strength of Rufus’s compositions alone.
Wainwright, son of cult favorite Loudon Wainwright III, covers one of his father’s songs “One May Guy” in an uncharacteristically guitar-led tune. His father intended the composition to be a Whitmanesque celebration of self. Being one of the headliners for this summer’s first all-gay music festival, Rufus puts an appropriate twist on the song.
Rufus Wainwright’s music requires patience, but like any good work of art, it reveals its depths over time.