Customer Reviews
a joy to have - By: T. Bowles, 06 Feb 2010 
Rufus Wainwright.. its all been said already, so i wont go on, this man has a stunning voice & this cd is full of just great songs' you should just sit down a listen to a master at his trade......its a joy to have & to play....................enjoy
It takes a while to get into, but this album will haunt you. - By: P. Streatfield, 22 Aug 2009 I'd never listened to any Rufus before. I bought this album based on reviews, cost & the huge amount of exposure he's had on TV & radio of late due to his opera coming out.
Hold on. Opera?
Yeah, that did make me wonder a bit. Someone who has written & released several "popular music" albums, bringing out an opera? And then I started reading up on him a bit & suddenly there seemed to be an awful lot of people saying how good he is. How come I've never heard of him apart from Jonathan Ross interviewing him on his radio show?
So I bought this album.
I listened to it the first time & thought "hmm...a couple of nice tracks there - quite melodic, but also quite complex - difficult to get into". Then I listened to it again. And again. It became a bit addictive. I couldn't stop listening to it. In fact, I found myself deliberately putting a different album on my iPhone becuase I felt guilty that I wasn't listening to anything else.
But I kept on returning to this album.
And I still keep on returning to this album.
I can't stop playing it.
The melodies, rhythms, counter-melodies, syncopation & orchestration just astound me. Each time I listen to it I hear something new. I find myself telling people about this album because I just feel people need to know about it.
I've started buying up his other albums now. But I can't recommend this enough.
But please - don't listen to it once & give up. This album just keeps on giving, & gets better & better on each listening. You'll find yourself HAUNTED by this album - humming it & whistling it when you least expect it.
Buy this album. Like OK Computer by Radiohead, this is one of those timeless, classic, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful albums you'll never regret buying.
In love with it. - By: Ms. K. E. Skelton, 18 Jul 2009 This isn't going to be a in-depth review but i'll tell you the basics... Before this, I just had Want One, which I'd heard nothing like before, & almost instantly became drawn to it. I say almost because I think for most young ears (I'm fifteen - was fourteen when first properly listened to him) Rufus' music is something to adjust to. When I did, I realised how good & decent it really is & began to see the talent he has. I then went on to buy this, & my admiration for his music has rocketed. I love the melodies & his whole style!
If you're interestedin getting into his music, i'd reccomend this album as a starting point. It shows the depth he inputs into each & every song, & his talent as a musician should be appreciated. I think the classical edge & his impeccible voice go to show that he knows what he's doing. A good break from chart music - which alot of teenagers need to get away from. Buy it!
A Great Debut.... but hard work! - By: Mr. R. E. O'NEILL, 15 Oct 2006 
Rufus Wainwright is a musical & lyrical GENUIS, but.... I heard his albumsin reverse order. This obviously being the last I had heard. Want I bought first the double album & it blew me away. The songs (even though all so very different) seemed to flow & you could not wait for the next one. Rufus debut was not like that. Danny Boy is a very painful song about his love for a straight friend that broke his heart, you can really feel his painin the song. April Fools lifts the spirit of the album & stands out on this album, you hope to hear more songs like this on it, but there is not!! Also Beauty Mark (about his mother) is another magical song, talking openly about his sexuality. Even though I do not seem to rate it highlyin my review I still give the album 4 stars for effort & bringing a refreshing style of music & lyrics. Definitely originality at its best....
Melanchloy and Theatrical - By: M. J., 18 Sep 2006 Listening to Rufus Wainwright's debut album is not only a pleasant esthetic experience, it's probably a very healthy thing to do to your brains & senses, like eating fresh salmon or avocado or viewing an Olafur Eliasson installation. His breathless vocals & guitar & piano arrangements fusein cabaret-like compositions that oozein through your ears & keep you from doing anyting else but listen.
His lyrics are frequently sad yet never dire, counting some very personal songs like Danny Boy, a love ballad, & Beauty Mark, a tribute to Rufus's own mother, folk legend Kate McGarrigle. Rufus's quite uncloseted sexuality is one of many themes his lyrics touch upon, but not to the point of tediousness; today he's arguably the most significant gay icon alive, at least for the younger generations.
The album's opening track, Foolish Love, epitomizes Wainwright's style by building up slowly & gradually,in different phases, until it reaches a theatrical & danceable pace. It's mellow, but definitely with a silver-lining, a confessional with wit & pop-sensibility, setting the tone for a fantastic debut album which a lot of people are discovering now, 8 years after its release.
