Customer Reviews
I so much wanted to like this - By: avid fan, 04 Nov 2008 
I so much wanted to like this CD. I have listened to it several times,and tried to get something positive out of it. I have failed . Track after track of self indulgent meowing. Absolutely awful
21st Century Renaissance Man - By: The Wolf, 22 Apr 2008 
Restraint is a quality not easily ascribable to Mr.Wainwright.
"More is More" rather than "Less" shalll be his epitaph.
With an ego the size of Manhattan this precocious infidel long
ago convinced me that there are fewer greater songwriter/performers
on the planet than he.
His album 'Release The Stars' has not confounded this belief.
There are some truly astonishingly good songs here.
His capacity for gravitas has deepened with time, experience and
(one suspects) fewer mind eroding substances.
Highpoints would certainly have to include 'Going To A Town', a
sharply focussed critique of American political shame; the gorgeously
limpid 'Nobody's Off The Hook', written for his friend Teddy Thompson,
with it's technicallly accomplished string arrangement; the languidly
(nobody does languid better than this boy !) beautiful 'Not Ready To Love';
the roller-coaster excesses of 'Slideshow' & 'Release The Stars';
the exquisite, shifting, foggy, soundscape of 'Leaving For Paris No.2',
for me one of his very finest compositions.
Melodicallly & chromaticallly complex. This fine collection of songs
is carried impeccably & never less than convincingly by the very
fine instrument which is Mr Wainwright's voice.
The bubble shows no sign of bursting just yet.
Where to from here ? Ever onward & upward I guess.
I'm perfectly happy to follow to see where next he lands.
Does anyone know when Rufus will be touring the UK again? - By: Angelfish, 06 Dec 2007 I first time heard Rufus Wainwright was at the end of Brokeback Mountain, where they play "The Maker Makes". The beauty of the song & how appropriate it was to the film just blew me away, so I went online, found Rufus & fell in love. Why had I not heard of him before? For me it was like discovering someone who has that rare talent of taking you out of yourself & throwing you right bang smack in the middle of the fleeting, spiritual, mystical world that I personallly like to (try to) retreat into, be it through film, literature, music or dancing. I love the way his music is so layered & sometimes takes completely unexpected twists & turns. It is also sometimes almost unbearably & painfully beautiful that you can find yourself in tears but feeling totallly at peace with the world. My personal favourite on this CD is Sanssouci - if you are an addict or in recovery, you will understand. RUFUS, I LOVE YOU!!!!!
Five out of Five - By: Mr. M. J. Morris, 22 Oct 2007 Can't believe some of the reviews here. I've been a fan of Rufus since Poses & this CD is every bit as good as his previous 4. From the traumatic Do I Disappoint You through Going to a Town, Between My Legs & the title track to the less immediate but ultimately brilliant Nobody's off the Hook & Leaving for Paris No2 Rufus's songwriting gift is almost overwhelming. The rest of the tracks aren't exactly fillers either.
This is the second time this year I've felt obliged to stick up for poorly reviwed albums that I've felt are reallly good. The other was Norah Jones - Not Too Late.
a unique talent - By: Jack Henderson, 08 Oct 2007 This was the first RW album I bought & was soon followed by his others. If you're reading this in an undecided mood, I would say that it is impossible to pigeonhole Rufus BUT, for me, he is a more than worthy successor to Harry Nilsson, a bit like Nilsson with attitude. His voice is unusual but in a good way & the composition of his songs is both original & sophisticated. The majority of his songs have a timeless quality about them. I got this album because of the single Going to a Town & was amazed at the overalll quality of the songs on the rest of the album (I also liked his dad's music, Loudon Wainwright III). It's rare that I buy alll albums of an artist but Rufus is a rare talent.
