Squawk Radio
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Elizabeth Strikes Some Poses
I first discovered Rufus Wainwright on the soundtrack for the first "Shrek" movie. (Which is one of the most romantic albums ever put together, imo.) His version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is, without question, the best cover of that song EVER. Full of passion and longing and angst and beauty. Frankly, I think it's a version that leaves Leonard's looking pale and lifeless. (Sorry, Leonard.)
But I'm not blogging on that. For this week's Sunday Music Blog, I'm blogging on this. “Poses” is actually Rufus's second CD (it came out in 2002 and is still available), but it's the first one I bought by him, and it's the one that cemented my love for him. He's another one of those artists who is hard, if not impossible, to classify (I like a lot of artists like that). So I'm just going to call him a pianist and composer (since “songwriter” doesn’t quite capture the range of what he does).
The songs on “Poses” run the gamut, from slow ballads like "One Man Guy" to fun, poppy tunes like "California" to the funny, slightly sinister "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk." And then there's unexpected surprises like the Asian influence on a track titled "Greek Song” and the fact that the poppy music of “California” hosts lyrics that aren’t very poppy at all.
And about those lyrics? As a I writer, I am in awe. Not just because the songs are filled with enough rich imagery to put any poet to shame, but because Rufus captures a wealth of emotion in each one. And not just one or two emotions, but LOTS of emotions. That, perhaps, is why the songs appeal to me so much as a writer. I try to capture emotions when I write, too. But it takes me a novel of a hundred thousand words to do it properly. Rufus Wainwright manages to do it in a few amazingly well crafted stanzas. I’d quote some here, but honestly, there’s just too much good stuff to choose from.
Another reason I like this guy so much is because, to look at his photo in the liner notes, with his craggy features and don’t-care-if-it’s-combed-or-not hair, wearing a leather jacket and T-shirt and joined by a couple of Goth Girls, you’d expect an entirely different kind of music. I love it when someone's outer shell houses a person who is so much more complex than s/he appears to be. Rufus Wainwright looks like the kind of guy you’d cross the street to avoid, or the bully hanging out in the schoolyard after hours. In fact, he is a poet, a lover, a searcher of souls.
And a damned fine pianist and composer.
But I'm not blogging on that. For this week's Sunday Music Blog, I'm blogging on this. “Poses” is actually Rufus's second CD (it came out in 2002 and is still available), but it's the first one I bought by him, and it's the one that cemented my love for him. He's another one of those artists who is hard, if not impossible, to classify (I like a lot of artists like that). So I'm just going to call him a pianist and composer (since “songwriter” doesn’t quite capture the range of what he does).
The songs on “Poses” run the gamut, from slow ballads like "One Man Guy" to fun, poppy tunes like "California" to the funny, slightly sinister "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk." And then there's unexpected surprises like the Asian influence on a track titled "Greek Song” and the fact that the poppy music of “California” hosts lyrics that aren’t very poppy at all.
And about those lyrics? As a I writer, I am in awe. Not just because the songs are filled with enough rich imagery to put any poet to shame, but because Rufus captures a wealth of emotion in each one. And not just one or two emotions, but LOTS of emotions. That, perhaps, is why the songs appeal to me so much as a writer. I try to capture emotions when I write, too. But it takes me a novel of a hundred thousand words to do it properly. Rufus Wainwright manages to do it in a few amazingly well crafted stanzas. I’d quote some here, but honestly, there’s just too much good stuff to choose from.
Another reason I like this guy so much is because, to look at his photo in the liner notes, with his craggy features and don’t-care-if-it’s-combed-or-not hair, wearing a leather jacket and T-shirt and joined by a couple of Goth Girls, you’d expect an entirely different kind of music. I love it when someone's outer shell houses a person who is so much more complex than s/he appears to be. Rufus Wainwright looks like the kind of guy you’d cross the street to avoid, or the bully hanging out in the schoolyard after hours. In fact, he is a poet, a lover, a searcher of souls.
And a damned fine pianist and composer.
Elizabeth Bevarly, 11:11 AM
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