| | Rufus Wainwright Release The Stars CD Rufus Wainwright Discography of CDs
 (3 Customer Reviews)
As the son of confessional singer-songwriters Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, it isn't exactly surprising that Rufus Wainwright's previous albums have read like diaries set to music, but the sometimes almost embarrassing level of personal detail in his lyrics set a new standard for lyrical intimacy. RELEASE THE STARS continues Wainwright's open-book approach to songwriting, but where his previous epics WANT ONE and WANT TWO were concept albums about addiction and emotional frailty, this album is considerably more hopeful.
Recorded in Berlin with the Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant, whose unambiguously gay-themed lyrics and musically expansive ambitions were an obvious inspiration for Wainwright's own music, RELEASE THE STARS finds the singer-songwriter in a mood of wary optimism, balancing love songs with rueful social commentary and a few playful looks back at his dissolute past. Musically, RELEASE THE STARS is Wainwright's most ornate, operatic album yet, with a use of musical theater and modern classical music not seen since Van Dyke Parks' heyday. And yet Wainwright's often overlooked gifts as a melodicist are on full display, too, giving the over-the-top arrangements a sturdy underpinning that keeps the album well-grounded.
Recording information: Angel Studios, Islington, London, England; Brooklyn Recording, Brooklyn, NY; Legacy Studios, New York, NY; Saal 4, Berlin, Germany; Second Story, New York, NY; Strongroom, London, . England.
Photographers: Rufus Wainwright; Lucy Roche; Jorn Weisbrödt; Sam Taylor-Wood.
Arranger: Steven Bernstein .
Personnel: Rufus Wainwright (vocals, acoustic guitar, nylon-string guitar, piano, percussion); Anna Prohaska (vocals); Siân Phillips (spoken vocals); Gerry Leonard (guitar, electric guitar); Smokey Hormel (guitar); Jack Petruzzelli (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, background vocals); Richard Thompson (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Joan Wasser (electric guitar, violin, background vocals); Ronith Mues (harp); Gabriel Adorján, Rahel Rilling (violin); Raphael Sachs (viola); Dávid Adorján (cello); London Session Orchestra (strings); Pirmin Grehl (flute); Rachelle Garniez (accordion); Matt Johnson (recorder, drums, percussion, background vocals); Paul Shapiro (tenor saxophone); Briggan Krauss (baritone saxophone); Dominic Derasse, Carl Albach, Dave Trigg (trumpet, piccolo trumpet); John Chudoba, Raphael Mentzen, Florian Dörpholz, Steven Bernstein , Barry Danielian (trumpet); Louis Schwadron, Ozan Cakar (French horn); Dan Levine (trombone); Jörg Sandner, John Medeski, Kate McGarrigle (piano); Jason Hart (organ, background vocals); Rob Burger (organ); Neil Tennant (keyboards, synthesizer, vibraphone, loops, sampler, background vocals); Larry Mullins (vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, bass drum, bongos, castanets, cowbells, cymbals, shaker, tabla, tambourine, timpani, triangle, wood block, bells); Jeff Hill (upright bass, electric bass, background vocals); Tony Scherr (upright bass); Ian Thomas, Kenny Wollesen (drums); Julianna Raye (tambourine, background vocals); Jason Boshoff, Marius de Vries, Tom Stephan (programming); Lucy Roche, Sharon Jones , Lygia Forrest, Jenni Muldaur, Martha Wainwright, Teddy Thompson (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Marius de Vries; Andy Bradfield.
Rolling Stone (p.102) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[He] surrounds his piano with delicate strings, keyboard flourishes and other instrumental touches without sounding too big or fussy."
Spin (p.97) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he songs are actually strong enough to hold the weight of the over-the-top arrangements."
Q (Magazine) (p.87) - Ranked #10 in Q's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2007" -- "[M]ore rich in emotional drama and sumptuous orchestration than any other record this year." Rufus Wainwright Release The Stars Songs Release The Stars Music Review Average Rating: (4.7 out of 5 stars)   Great Rufus
I still can't quite figure out what it is that I like so much about Rufus Wainwright. Is it the lyrical sense of ennui, the grand scale of the musical settings or just some damn fine songwriting? It's probably al of this and more. This new album continues Wainwright's growth. It is familiar territory if you follow Rufus, but always enjoyable. There are some unique pieces as well, like the title track. this song seems to be a plea for Paramount Studios to release it's movie stars from the studio contract system, which hasn't been in place for decades. A wonderful album from an artist who should be hugely successful.
Submitted by jmayn (L.A., CA, USA) 
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 hypnotic chaos
just when i think his latest album is my favorite he releases another...rufus' feelings are felt thru his expression of music...release the stars sucks you in and spits out your emotion...definitely an album to sing aloud with.
Submitted by catherine (IL, USA)
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He will be released!
My first meeting with Rufus W. was while listening to the Leonard Cohen Tribute. What a voice I thought, what a feeling! And than this fantastic album, he´s marvelous, song no. 2, I almost coulden´t believe what I heard.
This is Music and lyrics at it´s best.
If possible I gladly give this album 6 stars. BRAVO!
Submitted by lelarsson (Sweden, Europe)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No | Have you heard this album? |  |
Purchase Release The Stars CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Lacuna Coil Comalies CD (2002)
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These two LPs combined on one CD (with one bonus track) show off the duo's strong and weak points at once. Peter & Gordon did good Beatlesque songs, although they couldn't really compete with the real article without the occasional outside song like "A World Without Love" or "I Go to Pieces" coming their way. And they did all right, if not exceptionally well by folk-style numbers such as "Pretty Mary" and "Willow Garden," on which ...
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