The fact that hes always been out and whatnot is just gravy to me. Like his folks, Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, he's a superb songwriter, with a knack for elegantly rolling piano melodies and poignantly romantic lyrics while the appearance of Van Dyke Parks and his trademark orchestral arrangements hints at an affinity for the pop classicism of Brian Wilson or Randy Newman, the vocals come straight out of opera, and although Wainwright is unlikely to be starring in La Boheme anytime soon, he conveys the kind of honest emotion sorely lacking in the ironic posing of many of his contemporaries. On a recent Saturday morning at Hollywood’s Capitol Studios, Rufus Wainwright stepped up to a microphone once used by Judy Garland and belted out the 1928 song When You’re Smiling. I know everyone here seems to think hes a nasal, talentless hack, not nearly in the league of Kylie, Rhianna, Gaga, etc. What separates Rufus Wainwright and the other second-generation singers who sprang up at the same time ( Sean Lennon, Emma Townshend, and Chris Stills the most notable among them) is that Wainwright deserves to be heard regardless of his family tree in fact, the issue of his parentage is ultimately as immaterial as that of his sexuality - this self-titled debut cares little for the rock clichés of an earlier generation, instead heralding the arrival of a unique and compelling voice steeped most solidly in the traditions of cabaret.
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