Rufus Wainwright – ‘Want’ (Polydor) Released 28/11/05

Rufus Wainwright releases his colourful masterpieces as a complete set, along with bonus tracks and new sleeve artworks that sees him looking pensive on the cover. Oooh arty!  After a lengthy hiatus on the scene Rufus Wainwright released ‘Want One’ in 2003 to critical and widespread acclaim, and why not, as ‘Want One’ remains a pinnacle in his colourful career. With its meticulously layered hymn like approach that is an opera in itself, showcasing his penchant for over the top production qualities and the sheer fact that he is shit-hot at harmonising. One needs to only listen for a few seconds to be pulled in by the charm and charisma that is ‘Want One’. Wainwright made his mark well and truly with this release, completely shaking off any remnants of inaccessibility, and presenting himself as one of our generation’s greatest artists who was never afraid to completely go beyond the boundaries of song writing. With his various orchestrations eagerly tailing behind him, emphasising every note and emotion that his voice may have not lingered on enough for their liking this was to be a release that left nothing to the analytical imagination, it was big, bold and brave.

Then came the even more awaited ‘Want Two’. Originally released in March of 2005, Wainwright shook off the flamboyant in-your-face attitude and took everything down a notch. Choosing to disappear inside himself and let the listener follow rather than keeping everything on his sleeve and in doing so threw himself into a more cinematic and melancholic approach. Picking one or two instruments to accompany him instead of the full blown power of his orchestra, Wainwright retires to a piano or a solitary guitar on many occasions, dropping his proverbial shield of noise and exposing the vulnerability rarely seen in his releases. If ‘One’ was the high, ‘Two’ is surely the clarity in the come-down.

As previously stated, there are the obligatory bonus tracks- a Leonard Cohen track entitled ‘Chelsea Hotel No.2’ recorded live in Brighton, and quite frankly a nice addition to the set which sees him on an acoustic accompanied by a female chorus. Along with an original co written by Alex Grifford of Propellorheads fame, which was initially omitted from the final release of ‘Want One’, and to be honest should have been left out the second time around. As it’s out of place ‘James Bond’ theme doesn’t seem to fit comfortably with anything Wainwright is doing.

Finally united as a complete set, ‘Want’ is not to be missed by any fan of this notably outstanding and quirky artist, nor should it be ignored by any fan of sheer genius in song writing.