Ascending "Stars"

While I know the disc has been out for a little while now, I've decided, at long last, to write the full-length review of Rufus Wainwright's latest and, in many ways, possibly his greatest. I have to admit that this is the first CD review I've written in three years or so, so cut me a little slack if it's kind of all over the map...

***

At once, lushly beautiful, self-indulgent and messy, Release the Stars is Rufus Wainwright the way Rufus Wainwright would want to be heard. And that's A-Ok, because this may be his finest album yet.

While his last CD, 2004's Want Two--the second, lesser half of his two-part Want project--sounded pretty enough and was emotionally stirring (it's hard to deny the elegant, smoky power of the Copa Cabana-esqe "Peach Trees" and the crushing sadness of "The Art Teacher"), it lacked depth.

Save "Old Whore's Diet," it was missing the simple, seductive hooks of earlier songs such as "April Fools" from his 1998 self-titled debut, "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" from 2001's Poses and "14th Street" from 2003's Want One.

In Stars, Wainwright has given us a disc containing songs of anthemic, grandly operatic proportions as well as those of startling, heartbreaking, quiet intimacy. People have always claimed that Wainwright's music is somewhat cinematic and/or theatrical in its sound and scope. In regards to this particular outing, no truer words have been spoken. There are songs here that, while they are lovely to the ear, have a very visual quality to them.

The disc opens with "Do I Disappoint You," featuring Rufus at his most self-indulgently theatrical, melodramatic and over-the-top. I loved every second of it! As reflected in past songs such as "Dinner at Eight," The dude has always had daddy issues with folk-singer/actor Loudon Wainwright III, so it should come as no surprise, with lyrics such as "Do I disappoint you in just being human / and not one of the elements that you can light your cigar on" or "Why does it have to be fire / Why does it always have to be brimstone," that ol' Rufus is ceremoniously extending his middle finger in papa bear's direction again.

Speaking of flipping the bird, next up is "Going to a Town," the artist's most overtly political song to date, about his disappointment in our country's leaders and his yearning to, well, get the hell out of America. In interviews, Wainwright has mentioned that this track is unlike any of his other work in the sense that most of his songs usually take a little time to seduce you, whereas, with "Town," it has a much more immediate sound to it. Agreed. Normally, it takes a couple listens for me to inevitably fall head-over-heels with his songs, but the crystalline, continuous piano melody of "Town" is extremely hooky. It won me over straight away with its sound and, of course, it's message, which is pointedly conveyed without ever sounding preachy.

It is my immense pleasure to talk about the bombastic, supremely rousing and sharply witty "Between My Legs," this album's answer to "Old Whore's Diet." While it has that signature drama-queen flamboyancy that we've grown accustomed to with Rufus' stuff, it's also unlike anything I've ever heard. With its rude, crude, downright hilarious lyrics ("You can go out dancing / And I'll go write about you dancing without you/ And I'll shed a tear between my legs") and roller coaster-like twists and turns, ups and downs, the song is, in a word, brilliant. It's fast moving, catchy-as-hell and it offers one of the best samplings of another artist's (Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera") material I've ever heard. And a special, separate kudos should be given to veteran Brit actress Sian Phillips for her gameness in going along with this explicit, fun-filled track. Her spoken word monologue is a mixture of creepy and graceful. Download this sucker, now, people!!!

"Not Ready to Love," ironically enough, may very well be Rufus Wainwright's most beautiful love ballad to date. It may not soar to such sweeping, epic heights as, say, Want One's "Go Or Go Ahead," but it is absolutely lovely, poignant and ("I'm not ready to lie. / I'm not ready to love / Until I'm ready to love you / The way you should be loved. / Until I'm ready to hold you / The way you should be held") true. I dare you not to get emotional while listening to this song!

Ever wonder why you stick around and hold out for that one person you know really just doesn't give a damn about you? Yeah, me either. But this stirring, exhilarating song playfully taps into that desperate desire and insecurity. It's another over-the-top theatrical tune that, in a way, kind of reminded me of Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road."

"Tulsa"--apparently about a little, um, get-together with Killers lead singer Brandon Flowers*, I'm afraid, is the one complete misfire on this disc. There aren't too many songs by Rufe that I just automatically flip past, but unfortunately, this is one of those. Thank god it's only two-minutes long. Dreadful.

In "Leaving for Paris No. 2," one of this discs most subtle, haunting treasures, Rufus seems to channel Chet Baker a la "My Funny Valentine." It's pulsing, enchanting, melancholy piano strains will leave you feeling a bit introspective and wanting to, well, just look at the title of this song. Of all the songs on Stars, this track is the most cinematic in tone. Indeed, it's as if it slinked right off the set of a black and white movie from the '30s or '40s.

Going on a more biographical route, "Sanssouci," for all its upbeat pep, explores a rather dark chapter in Wainwright's life, when his crystal meth addiction left him temporarily blinded**. Wouldn't ya know that it's a joyous, catchy tune that you can actually sing to in the car with friends? Rufus!! You rascal, you!!

Finally, we arrive at the disc's title track. Simply put: it is everything that we've come to love about Rufus Wainwright: tongue-in-cheek and self-referential with the veneer of theatre and a touch of bawdy cabaret.

In other words, you want to savor every second of it, which is not unlike this majestic album itself.

Do you disappoint us? Not by a long-shot, Mr. Wainwright.

Grade: A

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Blogger's Note: The info regarding Flowers and Rufus' temporary blindness comes courtesy of Wikipedia. Thanks, you crazy Wikis!!