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Rufus Wainwright
05/19/1998 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Chris Morris
Until now, Rufus Wainwright was probably best-known as the subject of his pa Loudon Wainwright III's 1975 song "Rufus Is A Tit Man." All that should change with the release of this solo debut, a truly gorgeous pop effort that finds the Wainwright scion racing out beyond the long shadows of his illustrious folk-pop parentage (his mother is Kate McGarrigle of the McGarrigle Sisters). Rufus plays some mighty purty piano, and gets adept support from Van Dyke Parks's arrangements; his original, ripely romantic songs exhibit an admirable melodic and rhythmic complexity (he often sounds like a less syncopated, less adenoidal version of Parks himself), and his legato phrasing characterizes a distinctive vocal style. The tracks "Foolish Love," "Baby" and "Barcelona" are only the finest examples of Wainwright's cushiony, slow-burning work. This is exceptionally striking stuff. Mom and Dad better be prepared to get jealous.
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