Want One

Just not very inspiring, despite being completely pleasant. I imagine singer- songwriter isn’t a genre I’m ever going to embrace properly. So, meh really.

Pretty good.

A pretty voice, some pretty music, good but not great (opening track aside). A bit OTT theatrical in some places, 3/5.

Thought this was a very interesting listen. Definitely plan to listen to more of Rufus Wainwright and learn more about his background/upbringing. Seems like an interesting fellow, a tad bit crazy? 3 stars.

Very grandiose

Some of the musicians play their instruments beautifully and the songs are complex, but I was so bored listening to a lot this album. Some of the songs were pretty. They just didn’t evoke a lot of anything out of me and I’m easily evoked by music.

Melancholy. No one should feel that lack

I’ve heard some songs by Rufus Wainwright before, not many, but I remember liking them. This album is interesting. A little over the top for my ears at times but I also wouldn’t be surprised to learn that’s what he meant. He seems to skilled to me to let anything happen by accident.

I like his style, some good folk rock songs.

I’m a big fan of Baroque pop, and enjoy a lot of what Rufus Wainwright is doing, but for me, this album just come together as well as it could. The textures are here and the instrumentation is grandiose and theatrical, but the various elements don’t always flow well.

Oh yay, we get both parts! Weirdly, given the numbering, this is the less exciting half or Want One/Two, but still lush and funny.

No one can say that Rufus Wainwright is a bad writer and performer. His songs are ripe with melodic ideas and interesting one-liners, generally speaking. The thing is, as good as Rufus's skills are, there's not much rhyme or reason in the way the double-feature *Want* was contructed. Maybe a great *single album* lies there somewhere, if Wainwright had been better at self-editing himself. But frankly, I'm not interested enough to recreate said single LP. Because, as decent and lushly produced as the music is in those twin albums, most of their cuts still come off as derivative at the end of the day. And a lot of them even sound pretty quaint, trite, chatty or oversentimental. Which is a huge problem in my book. Some reviewers in here compared Wainwright's voice with the one of Thom Yorke, and I can see why they did so. But if Radiohead dabbled in mock-novelty cuts once in a while, the latter were always mixed up with many different styles. And the whole yet managed to be part of the same connective tissue. *Want One* and *Want Two* are actually far less adventurous when it comes to the genres they use or refer to. And yet they never manage to create such cohesiveness. It's like a catalogue of exercises in styles, with very few songs being instantly memorable, unfortunately. Exceptions in *Want One" are the rococo opener "What A World"--lush with orchestral quotes from Ravel's Bolero--, more experimental and subdued "Vicious World" and "Want", along with the climactic, heartfelt ballads "Go Or Go Ahead" and "Beautiful Child". Oh, and there's the incredibly sour closer "Dinner At Eight", where Rufus narrates a dinner evening with his dad--the folk singer Loudon Wainwright III--going very fucking *wrong*. It's a true story, by the way, and a quick search online shows that Rufus follows an old tradition of the Wainwright extended clan here--one that allows each family member to give jabs at their close relatives through their songs--be they father, son, daughter or exes. Best case scenario, those cuts settle the score, and the whole dysfunctional routine starts again some time after a temporary reconciliation. Quite an endearing family of neurotic artists! Loudon especially, often comes off as an insensitive and stubborn patriarch, as talented as he was as an artist. Waiting for the HBO series that would take inspiration from this weird clan of musicians for its next big hit onscreen... All of this is nice and well, and it sure is interesting. But as I said, and all biographical anecdotes apart, the problem is that there are not enough truly memorable moments in *Want* (one AND two) to justify adding it to this list. The songs I have not quoted in this review (and there are a lot of them!) go from Robbie Williams-like innocuous bland rock-pop cuts to more extravagant cabaret shenanigans, where Wainwright go through his histrionic routine without imprinting it on the listener's mind, very sadly. And I guess in the middle of those two extremities, you can find a bit of Elton John. But without the hits. And without the hits, you can't call a pop-rock album a keeper, be it part of an ambitious double-feature. Following the specific purposes of this list of essential albums, I'm giving a 3/5 grade for both *Want One* and *Want Two* (I'm not gonna describe the latter here--let me just say that the first volume still sounds slightly more convincing than the second album, but the difference is not big enough to bother giving distinct gradings to those two LPs). This overall grading translates to a 8/10 mark for more objective and general purposes (5 + 3)... Next, please. Number of albums left to review: 461 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 254. Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 126 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 161 (including this one)

Very nice album; certainly better than the other Wainwright album on this list. Every song is listenable and the album flows nicely. On the flip side, there is no real standout. 3/5

Good

Interesting and unique sound and vibe. I enjoyed this.

julia 2, stefan 3

First half stronger than the second half. Really liked the first 3 songs, and Go or Go Ahead is a great song. Some slower songs on the back half that were kind of forgettable, but this album surprised me overall, never really knew Wainwright past some of his covers. Really solid production, very operatic, with Bjork-esque vocals.

Oh What A World sets the scene for this gentle album. Once again enjoyable enough middle of the road. Fave track 11:11

Clásica. Lírica. Aburrido.

Maybe I'm being quick to judge, but it seems like a slightly bland pop rock folk thing

Definitely heard better RW albums

An album unfairly tainted by association with a past relationship, which, uncoincidentally, stirred up a dream/nightmare about said relationship that awoke me at 4:40am this morning. Well, I guess I have an early start to my day. Thanks 1001!

Never much for this type of theatrical-pop singer-songwriter stuff. I can see why people WOULD like it, but it's definitely very much a "every song could be a different play" sorta vibe.

I kept forgetting I was listening to this one. Not sure if that's a good sign or bad sign. Good background music I guess.

Sucesión de canciones un tanto melancólicas, con una buena voz al frente. Sin grandes alardes. Pop sosegado

It's alright. Great voice. 6/10

Want One, like the companion disc, is dominated by a gentle ebb and flow. It is beautifully executed, and holds easy interest for a while. At least one legend has it that the end contains particularly jeweled work. Not sure how to compare Wainwright's music against ensuing decades' smooth surfaces.

J'aime bien et je m'en veux pour ça

Meh, I was not interested in whatever this man was selling

Bon chanteur, musicalement agréable

The global reviews on this are pretty lackluster, and it didn't really move me much, but it also feels like it might be a grower. But then I'm not that motivated to revisit it yet either.

Cantor é capaz de criar e sustentar um clima intimista sem ser pretensioso. Porém, sempre fica a expectativa de quando vai começar a tocar Hallelujah.

Decent album, I enjoy the instrumentation, but I started getting bored after a couple of songs.

Pretty generic moody voice with a bit more upbeat tone, overall just fine.

after listening to scott walker, this feels like a slightly hammier, more modern version of that album. oddly? maybe not. both could be played behind a black white film or a theater production (on broadway?), or some vaudeville adjacent modern hipster club. maybe? its fine, he has nice pipes, i spose.

A nice singer songwriter to listen to!

I enjoyed the layering of vocals and harmonies, as well as instrumental flourishes in places. The album as a whole feels like its aiming for something very grandiose in scale and this could just be because the style leans heavily into lushly orchestrated, baroque-esque popera. I would say that in terms of lyrics, they were of variable quality. Some provided quiet musings on the quirks of life, whilst others seemed to be repetitive or not say much at all. My favourite tracks were Go Or Go Ahead and Beautiful Child. I enjoyed the swell of these ones and they felt like the main high points in the album for me. However, a criticism I would make about choosing this style is that in comparison to these lusher tracks, the ones in the second half of the album in particular feel a bit non-descript and seem to blend together in an easily forgettable way. Having said that, there still needs to be variety so I think the tracks should have been arranged a little differently, providing a bit more variation in tone between tracks. I can understand why this album made it into the list for 1001 albums - technically, I would say that the songs are well composed and the decadent style will be a pull for some people. It was an enjoyable enough listen but I don't think I would go back to listen to this album again or seek out Rufus' other music - it's just not that uniquely interesting enough for me. I would rate this album at 2.5 for me personally but since I can't give it half a star, I'll be generous and give it a 3 for technical achievement alone.

hans röst är som en vägg

I guess this has been removed from subsequent editions of the book - one thing the authors got right. We don’t have to listen to this. Uninteresting. Boring. Maybe 1 song that was good and his voice shined. 🤷‍♂️

Not as bad as 2 but still makes my teeth vibrate

I recognize that it is well produced baroque / sophisti-pop. Though I would argue that the songwriting quality is far overrated. As wrought as the lyrics seem to be, I found the songwriting and performance fairly unemotional. The feelings didn't really feel evoked at all. It probably doesn't help that I am not a fan of Rufus Wainwright's vocal performance style. I tried to put that to the side and focus instead on the lovely instrumental arrangements and choices, like those for example in "Oh What a World". But unfortunately for me, I didn't realize that was the high point of the album and that it would only become more mundane instrumentally from there. A frequent frustration of mine was that Wainwright seemed to have an aversion to including any well arranged choruses into his song arrangements. By the end of it, I felt I was being force fed a huge batch of undercooked indie bullshit. Somebody give me a Kate Bush or Imogen Heap palette cleanser. I got get this Wainwright out of my teeth.

Theatre kid core 👎

Buena producción y calidad, pero no es de mi gusto musical

I wanted to give it 3 stars but it bore me to tears.

Vähä tylsää omaan makuun. Hempeää ja pehmeää jäi päällimmäiseksi mieleen kuvailevista adjektiiveista.

ew

In reviewing all of these albums, I'm realizing that baroque pop just isn't for me. I guess this is fine for what it is and it's not tragically bad, it just really isn't for me. Bland and kind of boring.

World's Whitest Music

No idea what this guy did to warrant another album on this list after a lot of other artists aren't don't even have one. This list keeps losing its credibility by the day but this one wasn't terrible at least. Lots of drawn out operatic singing

Too whiny for me this one

An over-produced, misguided, overly long album with vocals that grind on your soul. I was thankful when it was over.

Boooooooring!!!

Alternate universe pablo honey era thom yorke where he’s canadian and also sucks

i think i wouldve felt real deep listening to this in 9th grade

I don't hate this one as much, but I do hate that this was given two days after Want Two and that they were presented out of order.

Another boring album. Musically, it did nothing for me. Lyrically, it was OK. Vocally, I ended up hating the fact that he'd start singing the next line so far ahead of the beat that his voice just lingered so bloody annoyingly. Just stop it.

Not too bad but I don’t really care for it.

It was ok, kinda boring.

La portada del disco te da una pista en qué epoca está inspirada la música de este álbum. Música como de fábulas, animadas por momentos, por otros lento.

tuba sollte verboten werden. ganzes album ziemlich schwerfällig.

Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: None Ugh, I guess this is gonna be one of those rants about how Rufus Wainwright has TWO albums on the List, and as I've seen across countless comments now (not for this album specifically), there's a lot of good artists that don't even have a single album on the List. I gave Want Two, a 4, I think. It must have been since one of the songs showed up on a hand-built playlist I made, where I only include tracks from 4 and 5 star albums. I did not connect with this album so much, and combined with the fact that Rufus already got his day in the sun - my listening to Want Two two hundred albums ago - this gets a much lower grade of 2.

Nah, couldn’t get into this. 1.5 stars

I’ve tried and just can’t get into this guy. A couple ok songs here but I quickly become bored.

He has a fantastic voice, but this is NOT for me at all. Incredibly boring.

This was tough to get through. Almost like a modern day Billy Joel with a twist, only a lot more sad and not as good.

Listening to this in the car with my family. 20 minutes in I say to my wife: “this isn’t very good is it?” She agreed. There were a few bands this reminded me of (eg Radiohead) but just not as good as those others.

Pop, baroque pop, chamber pop, rock.

Too opulent for my taste

This album made me homophobic

Album cover look promising. Delivery was lame

Meh. Disney music. Didn't love this one but it wasn't torture.

Too whiny

Not his old man. Nor his old lady. Preferred them both to the son.

Radiohead to dager på rad men en dag er det jævlig bra mens den neste mangler det noe. Spesielt Go or Go Ahead kunne vært et outtake fra OK Computer. Men jeg har hørt outtakesa fra OKC, og selv de er bedre enn dette... Og på dette punktet har Radiohead gitt ut Kid A, Amnesiac, og Hail to the Thief -- tre skiver som alle er sterkere enn OKC -- så nå er det bare Rufus som fortsatt lever i OK Computerworld... Nå husker jeg ikke så godt hvordan Want Two var, men denne er bedre enn jeg husker Two. Egentlig burde jeg like dette godt! Denne skiva irriterer meg ikke, noe Want Two alltid stod i fare for å gjøre, men til tross på at jeg tror på følelsene hans rent rasjonelt, så føler jeg dem ikke selv, og da spiller det ikke noen rolle hvor teknisk bra det er. Inn i det ene øret, ut av det andre...

Lame

ay dio mio la tapa. sintoma de la obsesión incomprensible de la decada de los 2000s con el medioevo. dios me perdone pero hubiera preferido otro disco de arcade fire a esto. es como estar escuchando una pelicula de disney de fondo todo el tiempo. No le pongo uno porque temo lo que pueda venir despues de esto

I kind of like the vibe but it was a bit one-note.

Long, chiant, et re-long derrière

Really wanted to like this one but it kind of just drone on

A new singer song writer for me. Some of his songs are worth a listen. Overall a fair album.

Can't stand his voice

Not my style.

Wasn't transported

No thanks. I kind of immediately pulled a stank face

You could have told me this album was simply one long song, and I would have believed it. Everything sounded exactly the same.

Speechless... not from awe but from lack of it

Sad and emotional in a 2021 TikTok lockdown kind of way, me personally I moved on from that so I find it a bit cringy... Movies of myself could've been soooo good if only he didn't fucking sing like that!!! He sounds like he's frowning while singing Go or go ahead same thing. Had potential, ruined it by singing like he was forced to do it

I know the name, but I've never listened to anything he's done. Now I know why. It's interesting, kinda like a new school Billy Joel thing he's got going on, but his vocal delivery is a bit boring and sounds the same throughout the album. The listener counts are pretty good from top to bottom, averaging about 1M listens. "Oh What A World" racked up 7.5M, but no hits that I'm aware of. I didn't find anything worth listening to twice and it's likely to his voice and the feeling it just sounds one dimensional and feels theater-like. He was definitely in Drama Club!! I could be off base, but this feels like an album for sad lonely people. I got no joy out of it. I'm confused as to the merits of it making a list of Must Hear albums, nothing stood out to me. 2.5 stars but I'm rounding down.

Meh. I couldn't finish this one.

All I really knew about this guy is he did the version of Hallelujah that's on the Shrek soundtrack. After listening to this album, I'm not that motivated to learn much more.

Overall, the songs sounded good, loved the production and mix, but it dragged on too much and I would have to listen more carefully to appreciate it as it should.

Store brand combo of David Byrne and Thom York

Not sure I had a Want for this album but it’s a Vicious World out there.

I absolutely love some of his songs but never quite connected with the majority of his work.

Naaa

I’ve been programmed to not like this guy and his music. I don’t remember why so I’m going in with an open mind and blocking out the hate. Oh What a World is a good start. But after that I’m not so sure. Like, it’s not unbearable. Sort of a slower Billy Joel. Musically, not mentally, I have no idea about that. Vibrate is another good one, sort of a Radiohead sound. But really, that’s 2 songs out of 7 right now that are listenable to me. This really did fail to impress me. I don’t dislike this guy as much as I thought I was supposed to . The music is just sort of meaningless from what i get out of it.

If Michael Bublé decided to do an album of Radiohead covers it wouldn’t be too dissimilar to this. Not an entirely bad album, but the production value kind of gives the game away for me, there’s no real grit or soul to this. It’s highly produced, ready made for commercial radio which kills any sense of realness

Almost made it through the album, got to track 11 and kept asking myself “what the hell am I listening to”. Sure glad I got to hear that before I died - not.

if radiohead did musical theatre

Some lush production and lovely tunes, but also rambles about being stuck in airport security and what he had for breakfast.

STANDOUTS: I Don't Know What It Is, Go or Go Ahead, Dinner at Eight I have nothing against music that feels theatrical, for example I think this is quite comparable to something like Illinois by Sufjan Stevens in terms of theatrics, which is an album I absolutely adore. My problem with Want One is that its theatrics is the only thing it has going for it. Rufus Wainwright isn't a particularly great vocalist in my opinion, and his songwriting, while not bad, is noticeably weaker than the songwriting of similar artists. This results in an album that sounds just fine but feels like it's missing something. 5.5/10

To paraphrase my biting review of Rufus' "Want Two" Want One? Get Two... You're not that bad Rufus, but you still suck...

This plays like it’s the sound track to the off broadway musical called nepo baby. He at least has a genuine and deep affection for the arts but at this point in his career did not have the talent to match. How could an album from anyone of his pedigree not be included in such a list…

I can't keep defending you, Rufus Wainwright :c Honestly not a fan. Quite a let-down compared to "Want Two."

Completely whatever, really forgettable, just like the last one I got

Not my thing

not my style

maybe I'm just in a bad mood but I see through this and him

The dipthongy quality is a bit too much for me. I heard Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk a while ago and it was ok, but a whole album of that I couldn't take. Like a lot of albums on here no question about the talent displayed, but the rating has to reflect my personal preferences.

Shut up shut up SHUT UUUP

Good musicianship, but the lyrics seem so pedestrian, sometimes rising to the level of cringe. Not poetry.

This album was interesting for me. I appreciated a lot of things about it and other things I really bugged me. The sound of his voice was initially bothering me and it couldn’t put my finger on why. I actually googled critiques of his voice and saw the phrase “lazy whine” and thought , that’s it!!! That kind of nasal lazy whine quality didn’t always fit with what else I was hearing which was theatrical arrangements well delivered. His voice reminds me of grunge music singers. I liked the first two tracks and Beautiful Child but the rest of the songs I did not care for.

Decent 2. The first song was great I thought I was going to like it, but it all went downhill from there.

This was just a boring album to me. The music was slow and his voice kind of annoys me.

First Listen; 2.5; The first track had me interested - it sounded very lush but still quirky. From there though, too much of the album was too sweet and formulaic sounding. I did enjoy the vocals on some of the tracks, reminded me of Thom Yorke. Overall though, I found it a little boring. Favorite Track: Oh What A World

It’s really not my cup of tea. The songs sound to poppy and whiny for my liking. They all sound kind of similar to each other, therefore the album isn’t that diverse.

David Bowie, Elton John, and Entertainment Weekly may love him, but not everyone can access that Wainwright feeling. Even though the orchestrations sound rich, the whole project between Want One and Want Two feels a bit over indulgent.

This album just was not very interesting to me, makes me wonder why I am listening to all of these albums. Sure we get to hear the best music ever and discover what is really good that we have never heard before, but then you get something like this, nothing wrong with it but Rufus just does not seem like he has created one of the great albums it is just another record that if I head a song on the radio I would switch stations immediately. To me 1 star is offensive, 2 stars is boring, and 3 stars is an album I would be willing to listen to again. This is just a 2 star and again felt like it was stealing my time that could be better spent listening to something that was actually good

This album is pleasant but a little bland. It does seem like a precursor to a lot of indie music, so I guess there's a reason for the album to be on this list. I was reminded of Andrew Bird a lot, which is just fine by me. I don't think I would ever tell anyone they absolutely had to listen to this, though. Yet another album that is good but forgettable. Favorite track: "Oh What a World." Unfortunately I was kind of tuned out before too much further into the album, but nothing else really stood out. Nice album art, though.

Want One ist das dritte Studioalbum des kanadisch-amerikanischen Singer-Songwriters Rufus Wainwright, erschienen im September 2003. Es wurde in mehreren Studios aufgenommen, darunter The Maid’s Room, Bearsville Studio A, Loho Studios (alle New York City) sowie Looking Glass Studios (NYC) und The Strongroom in London. Produziert wurde es von Marius de Vries. Musikalisch bewegt sich das Album im Bereich Pop mit Elementen aus barocker Pop- und Chamber-Pop-Ästhetik, ergänzt durch orchestrale Arrangements und teilweise rockige Passagen. Wainwrights Stil zeichnet sich durch dichte Instrumentierung und verschachtelte vokale Strukturen aus. Das Album enthält mehrere der bekanntesten Songs aus Wainwrights Schaffen dieser Phase, darunter „Oh What a World“, „I Don’t Know What It Is“ und das abschließende „Dinner at Eight“, das eine persönliche Auseinandersetzung thematisiert. Want One zeigt eine Bandbreite von theatralischen, emotional direkten Momenten bis zu komplex arrangierten Popstücken. Die Produktion ist sorgfältig durchdacht, die Stimmung variiert zwischen introspektiv und opulent. Die Stärke des Albums liegt in seiner kohärenten künstlerischen Vision, auch wenn einige Stücke in der zweiten Hälfte weniger markant erscheinen. Abschließend bleibt Want One ein charakteristisches Werk in Wainwrights Diskografie mit persönlicher Note und ausdifferenziertem Klangbild.

Enjoyed how the songs were structured, excellent buildup every time. But it was just dull otherwise

this was rough to get through

This is an album that makes you realize how good people with full orchestration like Vampire weekend are. He hits the mark a couple times but overshoots most. There’s a great, lush backing world to live in, but the lyrics and songs don’t always mesh. He sure went for it, and sometime he made it, but too many times he didn’t.

The sloppy loose vocals make me uncomfortable in a way I find difficult to describe. "my phone's on viiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiibraaaaaaate" gtfo. Perhaps if I gave more of his catalog a listen, I'd uncover some gems, but as an entire album idk if I'm totally in on this guy...

This is nice. Very dramatic singer songwriter. The singer is very good. Songs kind of stay in the background so not very memorable. Three stars? I’m doing two because I’m in a bad mood.

Look, if you put a guy in armour holding a sword on the cover of your album, and your music isn’t some sort of medieval/fantasy themed folk music or metal, I am going to be disappointed. The fact that the music is actually some sort of soulless whiney droning pop is just crap icing on this particularly shot cake

I can certainly appreciate him, but I’ve just never liked his voice. And I can’t get beyond that. But I certainly appreciate his talent. 2

Didn't really like it was very droney singing. Some songs got stuck in my head after second listen though

Væl

Svakalega dauft og svæfandi. Ekkert að gerast. Sýnist líka öll hans vinsælustu lög vera cover lög.

first impressions are that the album cover is great. the music is pretty but i find the lyrical style a bit too blunt and the vocals a bit too dramatic. Go Or Go Ahead is striking though. deserves to be one of the 1001? i'm quite iffy on Rufus Wainwright having one album on this list, and there are two? i wouldn't.

I, like most people, are probably only really familiar with Rufus Wainwright through his accidental inclusion on the first Shrek’s soundtrack. For those that didn’t know, the Hallelujah in the movie is actually perform by John Cale but someone made an error and licensed Rufus’s version on the soundtrack album, not John’s which was in the movie. Anyway, I think there’s a reason his Hallelujah is the only song people really know by him. He has a fine voice and he’s a solid singer, his songs are just incredibly bland. This whole album was very inoffensive and I just got bored and tuned out after a while.

It’s fine. Nothing more than that.

it wasn't horrendous but i also couldn't recall any of what i just listened to.

Some ok songs. Mostly boring. Tired of his voice by the end. Gayer than if scissor sisters and Elton john had a baby. Which is fine.

He really does sound like Thom Yorke, doesn't he? I probably would have been into it more if I listened to it when it came out. I was listening to a lot of this sort of thing back then. I don't really dislike it. I'd just rather listen to so many other things.

One for the Radiohead / Coldplay crowd. Competent songwriting. Ambitious arrangements. Bit dull.

Too much McGarrigle and not enough Wainwright and come to think of it I am not a big fan of Wainwright, except, of course, for the dead skunk that is. 2 stars or D+.

A little conflicted with this one. On one hand, it’s whiny as hell. On the other hand, I kinda don’t mind? I really enjoyed I Don’t Know What It Is and Vibrate, and there were some decent songs mixed in, but was still a longer album than I would have preferred. I could argue for a low three but I’ll go with a two for the only two songs I’ll come back to.

Rufus sounds so bored on this album. Like putting this together is just another day at work. "I guess I'll make a new album, but only if I get to look like a bored knight on the cover" - Rufus Wainwright.

Theatrical, meh

Never heard of this guy before this selection. It's easy to see a Canadian artist and quietly think to yourself if the government funded promotion of Canadian musical artists has struck gold with this guy. I also question why that very same government can't help an impeccable band like Voivod, but alas. I'll get this out of the way: not a chamber music fella. I like rhythm and upbeat stuff, and chamber is simply not for my musical DNA. When my favorite artist Frank Zappa composed a chamber music album I still disliked it. Baroque stuff I don't feel as strongly. That stuff works well. The production is incredibly well put together. Lots of background instruments in good space from one another, creating a great theatrical vibe while feeling like some sort of Britpop record at times, except with better production (I'm explicitly calling out Oasis right here). The slower parts of this album make me question why this could be pop when it doesn't really gauge the listener too much, especially with longer than average pop tracks for all but two songs. I wish it blended more of an art rock sort of sound because this dude surely loves to use banjos on a bunch of songs. I can recognize that this simply isn't for me, with a couple of tracks I can highlight that I liked: Vicious World, Movies of Myself (mainly for the piano/organ/synthesizers) and Beautiful Child. But the rest is droll at best and I hate to say it but the album is just a drag to listen to and get to. It will appeal to probably some more musical-inclined people, chamber music folk, but I NEED DRUMS. I NEED PERCUSSION. I NEED RHYTHM AHHHHHH SHIT GOD DAMN FUCK. Fucking get vibraphones and make them louder or something. Marimbas are a fine substitute, but all this extra background shit and you only add percussive stuff on a couple songs is where it pushes me too far. Listen Canada, you're 1:1 with good and bad music. That's good! But it's also bad. As a result, there's plenty of mid. I'm sure there are better representation of your country's music than this guy. Great production only goes so far to save an album. This album has a sequel that is also in this collection. Perhaps I'm not aware of the significance of Rufus Wainwright in the chamber/baroque/"pop opera" world, but I don't think he needs two albums to be mentioned here.

A name I know but not much else. It is that kind of baraoque pop that occasionally veers into interesting, but never quite makes it. Like a radiohead pastiche in many places. Long album... 2.5 rounded down Heard before? No Owned: No: 35/138 (25%) Will I get? No.

Not for me.

Nice Radiohead like sound. Usually this is my sound but for some reason this album just didn't grab me and I struggled to finish it.

I have no idea what the hell this was or whether I actually enjoyed it. That is a problem. I guess I didn't or I would be saying nice things about it. Want one? I havent a clue. For being not run of the mill it will get a 2 star award. That's fair isn't it?

Too saccharine, feels both overproduced and too sparse in instrumentation. Theater kid music, but in an off-putting way. I want to blame this for AJR

It got good towards the end of the album - it took effort to listen to when it was very poppy initially, but the nearer it got to an approximation of the Eels, the more I liked it.

I can't wait for this album to be over

Couple of good songs, couple that got a bit droney but overall not that memorable for me.

Not in my edition of the book! 2003. 2 stars. This is what you get if you splice the DNA of Michael Buble, Robbie Williams and early Billy Joel. Cracking voice, but let down by substandard songs. Not essential listening.

Oh What a World I Don't Know What It Is

I’ve never listened to Rufus Wainwright but know him for his overwrought interpretation of Hallelujah so I wasn’t expecting much. First song Oh What A World was a pop dirge I really enjoyed but unfortunately that was the high point of the album. Most of the songs fell flat void of any semblance of melody.

Nothing interesting on this record. It's almost offensive how middling it is.

It's ok, but it's pretty inconsiqunetial. Feels like the soundtrack to a musical that doesn't go anywhere

If a person should ever like a person Then a person should like you Being that I'm only just a person What would you do? If a person should ever like a person Then a person should like me Being that you're only just a person Wow, this guy sucks!

It was pleasant enough, but nothing I would listen to again. 5/10, but a 2/5. Favorite track: Oh What a World.

Не прошло и недели, а я уже и забыл, что слушал это

This one kinda just washed over me and made me feel nothing at all, no utter dislike, no enjoyment really, it just played through and then it was done. Seemed Wainwright was doing a bit of a Thom York thing with his vocals at times and his performance had a bit of a theatre kid vibe to it. Good voice but this wasn’t for me. 2 stars

So much production for so little spine

Whats the obsession with straight men reading fashion magazines?

I found this pretty mediocre and bland for my taste

Too many albums on this list where they start great then either the artist or label wants more songs and the artist has no idea how to fill the extra time other than repeating what they’ve been doing.

“This music sounds so boring. It all sounds exactly the same.” - Kerri This album would be a great one to listen to while crying yourself to sleep. Clearly some people enjoy it but I agree with Kerri.

Day 57 Only had time to listen once so may edit in future but on first listen found it quite same, not bad but didn’t really hold my interest, will try it again over coming days. For now 4/10 Highlights Oh what a world Go or go ahead

Som en riktigt tråkig musikal

Vilket sömnpiller. Tur att det inte blev en dubbel som planerat. Är det en musikal? Ett Disney-soundtrack? Artar sig något de sista spåren. Titelspåret Want och 11:11 är helt ok låtar. Men jag får ingen lust att höra Want two.

It's fine but too mundane for me

I had never heard of Rufus Wainwright or any of the other names in the wikipedia snippet. Oh What A World caught me off guard and I really liked it. It was big and ambitious and sounded like indie from the early 2000s and got pretty stoked if the rest of the album was going to be like that. Then I Don't Know What It Is came on and now it sounds like generic theater kid pop. Go Or Go Ahead was also pretty good even though it sounded very heavily Radiohead inspired. Overall I liked 2 songs and disliked the rest so I’d probably give this a 2.5 but am going to round down on this one.

# Album Name: Want One # Artist: Rufus Wainright # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Its alriiiiigggghhhhttttt. Too long though. Gets boring after a while. Hence the down mark from a 3 > 2. # Top Tunes: Who knows # Would I listen to it again? No

This was ok, very theatrical and show tuney, and much of it quite good. In small batches I can dig it, but an album worth kinda wears on me. It doesn't help that he reminds me of Thom York.

It felt really long and the guy just likes to sing long notes. I was wishing for it to be over. I am scared that the book has want two in it, meaning I might have to slog through another album....

A lot sounded whiny, kind of the same. Doesn't reach the excitement and variety of other singer-songwriters. Michael Buble but make it more broadway. 2*

1. uuorld -1.5 2. knouu - 1.5 3. viciouz - 1 4. moviez - 1 5. pretty - 1.5 6. go - 2.5 7. Vibrate - 1.5 8. Street 0 9. Natasha - 1.5 10. Hearts - 1.5 11. Child -1 12. Want - 2.5 13. Eleven - 1 14. Dinner - 1.5

9/24/25 - played this album a lot. It reminded me of another group but can't remember. But even having it on repeat by accident all day, it's just not for me. 2.5

The grandiosity is a bit obnoxious. Combined with my distaste for Rufus' voice and this was a chore to get through. 4/10

Meh. Feels overproduced.

Das sind alles Songs die der character in einer Serie auf Kopfhörer für 20 Sekunden hört du siehst das Auto von oben Kamera Fahrten etc und dann steigt die Person aus und nimmt Kopfhörer ab Musik blendet aus Soll heißen klingt nicht sehr Special ein paar coole lyrics/ad lips waren drin Aber sehr white basic Special mention: Beautiful Child Best Song: Go Or Go Ahead Rating 2,3/5

kinda show tune-y not bad but not my thing

Shutup man

I do not like his voice

This album feels fairly inconsistent and a bit dated in parts. In fairness to it the song-writing is fairly intricate and a few of the songs do feel up-beat and anthemic - Go Or Go Ahead is by far the best song for me. But overall the album feels scattered and forgettable. Left it feeling quite bored if I was being brutal.

Entirely unremarkable.

I really struggle with this type of orchestral pop that sounds like it's out of a musical. I just keep imagining dancers pirouetting during the bridges and interludes. For some reason Jeff Buckley is what's coming to mind as a comparison (probably not fairly), and he did this sooooo much better. ...And this is certainly some of the worst album art on the list.

Decent sound but not my cup of tea

Kind of annoying and sounds repetitive. Bounced halfway through .Two stars.

Big swelling emotional songs with no substance. Radiodead. He sings the same way almost completely unchanged in every song. Sounds like he is drunk stringing words together. The Stroked. I think the composition and instrumentals are very well done and then he comes in and kind of just fucks everything up. 4/10

Not quite my thing.

It's a good album with lots of interesting ideas and a lovely blend of singing and (for lack of a better word) whimsical music. But... it's too much for me personally, as a whole album at least. I would love to listen to the songs individually, but while listening to the entire thing at once I felt overwhelmed. It's too much coming too quickly, and therefore I have to be a bit more critical with my rating than I'd like.

I want to be clear, it's not bad, I just find it kinda plain 😔 I feel like I've heard a 100 songs like the ones on this album.. so nothing grabbed me.. but I would probably appreciate this at the right moment

Not really needing to be on this list and not to my taste.

BOOOOOORRRRRRINNNNNNGGGGGGG

This album doesn't have the repeated sucking of the last album so he clearly developed a smoking habit between the two releases. Probably said this last time I reviewed Rufus but this guy really is the final boss and progenitor of overproduced indie, which i will never forgive him. The worst part is, his stuff isnt even bad its just so painfully mediocre. 5/10

The first song excited me because the tuba line sounded like the Papers, Please intro song (shoutout to Nick Hitchens for playing the tuba on this track). There is a (deliberate?) dissonance on this song which is present on many of the songs on this album between the monotone and dreary lead vocals and the bombastic and lively instrumentation. It could have worked well, but it sounded like the musical version of that smudged-up Spanish painting of Jesus. The pedigree of the producer and performer really makes me feel like this album should have been better. Unfortunately, there are very few engaging songs on here. It's not unlistenable, but it's also not re-listenable. Highlights: Oh What a World

First song is very papers please. Not a fan of 'pretty things', his voice sounds very whiney. Overall it's too long and whiney for my liking. 2 might be a bit harsh but oh well.

olha a capa disso vai tomar no cu radiohead para fãs de broadway o estrago que o mano thom yorke fez na música "alternativa" no início dos anos 2000. o instrumental eh até legal pra hipsters. de resto, eu dobro e passo pro próximo.

It’s ok. It’s not a bad rainy day album, it kind of has that feel. There are some tracks that were alright but for the most part I don’t think I would ever revisit it.

I don’t know what it is sounds like a bad Radiohead song

Gear: Aür Audio Aurora Artwork: ⚔️😒🪙 Production: 🔊🎆👍 Music: ✨💔🙄 Rating: 🤺(🤺)/5

For the life of me I will never understand what this decades obsession with mellow dramatic solo singers wailing over a piano. There was some interesting, theatrical production to this but on the whole it felt like sitting through another dreadful episodes of American Idol and that was something I really wanted to leave decades in the past.

Some pretty music, with overly emotional delivery of vacuous pretentious lyrics. It’s a shame. Also, Jane Curtin deserves better.

Well. He likes Radiohead. This album just sounds like the bends to me. Quiet lyrics then a big sound comes in to emphasize the lyrics. It's an ok album. It's not going to stick with me at all. I get what he's going for but it's not my scene or vibe. Well made album though. I enjoyed the music over the lyrics personally but I can see this man have a serious rabid following.

This album feels like Radiohead sings schmaltzy Broadway songs. These are two things I like separately; they are not two great tastes that taste great together. 2⭐️

Slow and sleepy, even when it tries to be upbeat.

I listened to this, but I didn’t actually listen. Nothing caught me. I remember saying this the last time he had an album on here. Rufus has TWO albums on this list??!

Sorry Rufus, you’re talented and there’s a world where I’d really dig your dig if your voice was entirely different.

Go Or Go Ahead sounds like a B Tier Radiohead song, and this is the one I've enjoyed the most by far. The rest of the album sounds like a collection of Broadway songs that didn't make the cut.

Fine enough, but it just dragged on for too long

I almost stopped listening during the first song. His voice was whiny, warbling, and sounded like he was a terrible vocalist. The second song redeemed his singing qualities. He has a pleasant voice and an excellent range. But, and of course there’s a but coming!…I don’t like his music. I think it’s boring and, as a result, his stories don’t grab my attention. Each song seemed too long and they all droned on, blending into a mash of boring background music that I couldn’t finish.

Standout Songs: Movies Of Myself Beautiful Child A slow, sad album that all blends together just like every chamber pop album. Nothing really interesting to me

# 521 : Want One The ultimate hipster album. I don't hate it and nothing stands out as bad, but nothing stands out in a good way either. It's just so slow and boring, and it was a struggle to stay connected. Its nicely made, with good musicianship but I really like the nice album art, so one extra star for that :-) If I had to pick a song : I Don't Know What It Is Listened : 10/07/2025

There a lot of music there, but it's just so so mid

Ugh. Nope.

Kind of reminds me of the singer of Radiohead and the music was boring but bearable. 2.5/5

¨rescindible.

This does nothing for me. He’s trying maybe too hard idk. And his voice just sounds the same the whole time. What more can I say? 2.5

I don't understand why this is on the list. I don't say that to be mean, but I can't hear anything here that feels different or more influential than other singer-songwriter albums of this time, or decades before. Maybe the devil is in the details and I am too bored to listen for those details. Rufus Wainwright sings like a sad teenager who only owns Thom Yorke and Chris Martin records. The album opens with a dirge that really set a tone I couldn't get past. I can't pick out any hits, and there are a lot of songs that feel like they would be that final slow song you'd play to end a concert, but then it keeps going. Makes for a long hour, and probably an even longer concert.

Maybe this just isn’t for me. This seems like something that someone would show you on YouTube between classes during high school claiming this “saved their life”. Well made, but none of these songs really stick with me. Favorite song was Go Or Go Ahead.

This guy has got to be least talented person in the Wainwright Family. Before listening to this album, I didn’t think that songs with an orchestra could be boring. This album proved me wrong. Maybe if it didn’t have all of the orchestration, it would have been better.

Quite artsy, not really my style Feels like a prototype for the indie sadboys of the 2010s "Straight men, oh what a world" is a strange lyric all the songs sound kinda the same

Feels a bit like listening to a musical soundtrack without context.

This guy annoys me. It's his voice

I'm sure he's very talented but I can't stand the poor man's voice at all. Much prefer Martha.

Not for me, annoying voice

Boring

Singer-songwriter is my go-to genre, but this guy seems to be another loser in the Radiohead auditions. He has a great voice, but his vocal style is a little nasal and often quite whiney. I can't say I enjoyed more than a few minutes of this one.

Too slow very samy

Never heard of Rufus Wainwright before. Album cover is interesting, kinda like the poster for a rejected YA fantasy movie adaptation. The tracks themselves though....they were just kinda meh? Every track sounded like it was meant to be in a movie but got rejected, and I swear I heard threads of much more famous movie sountracks woven throughout the album. Not one I'll be coming back to. 2/5

Am I supposed to care that this guy got into a fight with his famous dad? Who gives a fuck

Think i like it more than the other one he has on the list, but it's still overly long and gets boring after a while. He's also channeling Thom Yorke a little too much for my ears

boring as hell

not for me - a little bland

No private session used for Spotify. I have never been a huge fan of Rufus's voice, I fine it whiney, mumbled and sounds like he just woke up, but probably should have stayed in bed longer. His voice is featured a lot in his music, so it's a problem.

Liked the sound like the vibe but not the songs

Not one I want to return to.

4/10, I wasn’t that impressed but it’s fine, won’t listen to it again tho i don’t think.

68% Best: Movies Of Myself; 14th Street Must-Hear? No

2003. Relaxed kind of theater songs. Depth of story and sound.

2.5

whiny white man music (WWMM)

It’s not terrible but I would never think of listening to it again.

Want One is a bit dramatic and grandiose, it's ambitious and bold, and feels personal too. It does feel a bit too much at times, and at other times, it felt a bit boring. "Go or Go Ahead" was pretty interesting, a very powerful song about addiction, Wainwright delivers it well with his distinctive singing style and the backing vocals are pretty good, specially during the chorus. "14th street" was nice too.

Didn't really care for it.

Ah, daar hebben we weer een product van het aanstellerige New Yorkse theaterensemble. De mannelijke tegenhanger van beroepszeurpieten Fiona Apple en Aimee Mann. Highbrow, snobistisch, etc. Kijk alleen al naar die hoes, waar Rufus de 3e in een ridderpakje zit met een groot zwaard naast zich. Waarschijnlijk ging Rufus vroeger al huilen als iemand goedemorgen tegen hem zei, dus hij doet zich nu graag stoerder voor dan hij is. Ik word hier bij voorbaat al gruwelijk agressief van, dus of hier een objectieve review uit voortvloeit, dat waag ik te betwijfelen. Zeker aangezien we "Want Two" al hebben gehad. Ik wil er helemaal geen twee, ik wil er helemaal geen een, I Want Zero. Maar als Rufus een 1 wil, dan hij die krijgen hoor. Ik zal het album voor de volledigheid wel luisteren, ondanks al mijn vooringenomenheid. Zijn theatrale stem die bij elk nummer hetzelfde is, zit nog steeds zwaar in mijn irritatiezone, net als Joni dat altijd doet. Het is dodelijk vermoeiend. Net als sommige nummers, maar hij varieert gelukkig wel iets in de genres. Go or Go Ahead is prima mainstreamrock. Ik denk dat een nummer als Beautiful Child het beste past bij zijn stem. Dat gemaakte misplaatste zogenaamde gevoel dat hij overal in legt, wat natuurlijk lulkoek is, met je ogen dicht zingen betekent niet ineens dat je je ziel en zaligheid erin stopt, maar dat zogenaamde gevoel van hem, dat past wel bij zo'n nummer, omdat zo'n nummer wat meer opgetogen is. Bij de 'gevoelige' nummers valt het misplaatste van zijn zang teveel op. Het is al met al ook weer niet zo slecht dat het een 1 moet krijgen, maar ik vind dit zoals verwacht wel zwaar overschat. Er is een (theater)publiek voor, prima, daar hoor ik niet bij. Twee sterretjes dus.

The backing beat on "Oh What a World" reminds me of the title music in the game Papers, Please, which is kind of fun. The album kind of sounds like the soundtrack to an on-stage musical play. Is that a bad thing? I'm really not sure. I don't hate it, but... I also don't think I particularly like it, either. His voice can be quite irritating, especially in "Pretty Things". Best track: Go or Go Ahead Worst track: Pretty Things 2/5

Troubador with a good voice and sweeping orchestration. Couldn’t make heads or tails of it and will need another listen. But i didn’t hear anything that made me want to give it another listen. It’s a 2.

Oh great, Rufus again. I've heard this one before a long time ago, so I'll pass.

I'm gonna go with my first impression of this album.... "This is what Radiohead would sound like if you took away everything cool about Radiohead."

Got 80% through. I can't really say what I didn't like about it. Maybe its just a preference? Felt over produced and the songs didn't do anything for me. Talented singer for sure.

I personally dont get the appeal. Rufus has a great voice, but the music doesnt keep my interest. It sounds like Muse without the edge. Is this the ultimate example of music that doesnt offend anyone? Not the worst we’ve heard, but barely 1.5 stars

Clearly a talented individual but it was blah for me.

Go Or Go Ahead was the first one that stood out to me. Very theatrical, but very repetitive. Overall, I can see how this can be up some people’s alley, but not my cup of tea.

3.5/10 I normally like this kind of music, but here I really didn't. Very hard to get through.

I'm not exactly sure what I thought Rufus Wainwright sounded like, but *this* is not what I expected. I'm a bit bummed that it looks like we'll get the other half of this aborted double-album, as I feel like I've gotten a pretty good taste of his style with this album, but I'm not exactly surprised either. I'm not sure it's exactly fair to call him a modern-day (or at least more contemporary) version of the more orchestral tendencies of Elton John and Billy Joel and even David Bowie and Stevie Wonder, but those are the artists that came to mind as I swam through the somewhat painfully whirling sounds of Mr. Wainwright. Not really my taste, but it seems pretty well-produced, and I liked it that he clearly wrote and composed all the songs, sappy as they often seem. I feel badly only giving this album two stars, but I just *really* didn't enjoy slogging through this.

☀︎c’est vraiment pas si pire que ça mais ça me déprime intensément ☀︎14th Street est pas pire ☀︎c’est pas mémorable, mais c’était une pas pire musique de fond

I had heard of Rufus Wainwright but had assumed he was black and from the 70s based on the name alone so safe to say I was a little disappointed. Some clever lines and I liked 14th street but it mostly was pretty forgettable. Maybe if I spent some more time with it I’d like it more

1.5 Did not want one

I didn't really like it and I don't have a good reason. Rufus reminds me of other artists I enjoy (FJM, Sufjan, etc.) but I was just waiting for the album to end. His singing was tiresome.

Don’t get it

I don't actually remember this at all...which I think speaks for itself

2.0 That was dreadfully, dreadfully dull. I can only hear Thom Yorke in his voice, so it sounded like the shitted Radiohead album ever or a really bad solo output from Thom. Couldn't hear anything else. Went on the guys page to see his most listened to song, by far, is a pretty dull cover of Hallelujah. What am I missing here.

This is pretty over-the-top. It's not bad, but I doubt I'll return to it.

Started pretty good... then not so much. 2/5

Tillför inte ett förbannat dugg till musikhistorien.

I don't get it.

Great voice but just soooo boring.

Pretty sure Rufus was bullied in the 80’s. Adult contemporary boredom is the only way I can describe this album.

This just fills me with an overwhelming feeling of indifference. Supposedly others find it lush, sweeping but just doesn’t move the needle for me. not bothered to say anymore- 2 Star.

Again high hopes for this one but was so incredibly bored by the end nearly gave it a one

Instrumentals are interesting at times. The style reminded me of father John misty, but the album felt bland overall

Arranca con dos temas buenos, prometedores y después se vuelve un disco completamente aburrido y olvidable; aunque sí, se nota la calidad musical, bien de música clásica.

I just had 'Want Two' a few weeks ago and after listening to this album, I don't like his music that much better. It's not offensive music in any way (though his voice is a bit too whiny for me...), but after a few songs I lost interest and I didn't really like it overall. Oh well, one album from this artist would have been more than enough.

eh

2.0 - Weak

Meh

#506. One of the albums of all time. 2/5: not one of the good ones, mind you.

Greatness cut short by a mopey final third

I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's just something about his voice that compeltely irks me, and the music doesn't do anything to make up for it. Meh.

Well, I though this pretty unexceptional stuff, but maybe that's because this sort of singer-songwriter music isn't really to my taste. Kinda like the sleeve.

Teatralsk Singer/songwriter, masser af klaver, lidt langt

That was kinda nothing. Very much a Starbucks compilation CD circa 2006 vibe. Album cover: (A) It kinda rocks. Its so cheesy and over the top, but it works. It looks like something Dennis Reynolds would come up with.

I like a little of his stuff--emphasis on little. Dude, what's up with the medieval armor? Violins? Dial it down a bit, please. I just can't take the whole over-the-top overwhelming vibe.

⭐⭐ 4/10 I don't think it's awful. Just ain't my kind of music.

The grated on me

2.5 Started out great with the first track (Oh What A World) and never went anywhere from there, unfortunately.

Saai, momenteel niet mijn ding. Heb het niet eens gered tot het einde.

Too whiny for my taste. There are some highlights though.

Руфус из Ким 5+ > Руфус Уэйнрайт

I'm not really a fan of Rufus to be honest. Baroque/OTT Pop is never really my bag, he never really sounds like he's enunciating his words properly and has influence a bunch of girls and ukuleles thinking they can sing with no effort and the elements of stage musicals always grates. I know all critics creamed themselves over this album and its sister album but its not really for me. Best Tracks: I Don't Know What It Is; Movies of Myself;14th Street

melodramatic vocals, some nice arrangements and intricate melodies, but a dreary voice - pretty forgettable, overall.

I've owned this album for years without ever having listened to it. And now it can go back to collecting dust. Not one for me.

Love his voice but tapping out early. Super over-produced and doesn’t seem like he has much to say? Maybe just not feeling it

Some grandiose arrangements. I like Rufus's voice but the songs weren't especially captivating

Widzę zarówno skąd się bierze opinia Cichego, jak i Mikosa. Zacznę jednak od tego, że za cholerę nie rozumiem okładki tego albumu. Jest całkowicie od czapy moim zdaniem. Ale to nieistotne. Najmocniejszym akcentem tego albumu jest jego utwór otwierający - "Oh What A World", o czym pisałem już u nas na grupie. Z oczywistych przyczyn osobistych bardzo rozbawił mnie ten fragment: "Why am I always on a plane or a fast train? Oh, what a world my parents gave me Always traveling, but not in love." Plus ponownie pochwalę strukturę utworu. Co prawda nie wiem, dlaczego autorzy postanowili wykorzystać "Bolero" Ravela do tego utworu, nie widzę żadnych wyraźnych powiązań pomiędzy tekstem, a utworem Ravela (który w sumie nie ma żadnego konkretnego przesłania), ale sam zabieg wypadł bardzo dobrze. Dla mniej spostrzegawczych (takich jak ja), w ostatnim momencie pojawia się skopiowany jeden do jednego temat z "Bolera", który już jasno uświadamia słuchaczowi, z jaką strukturą ma do czynienia. Spodobało mi się to i rozbawiło. Potem niestety jest już równia pochyła i nie przypominam sobie żadnego utworu, który w jakiś sposób by mnie zainteresował. Zarzuty do Rufusa mam takie same, jak miałem do Adele - jego śpiew to czysta technika i zero emocji. Tylko Adele ma mocniejszy i ciekawszy głos. Rufus strasznie nudzi z tym swoim nosowym mamrotaniem. Momentami ma ciekawe teksty, jak "14th Street", ale mam wrażenie, że śpiewa to tak płytko i płasko, że aż szkoda tych słów na niego. Czasami, głównie przez aranżacje, faktycznie brzmi trochę jak bootlegowe utwory z Disneya, także rozumiem też wrażenia Mikosa. Ale pewnie nie pomyślałbym o tym, gdybym nie przeczytał jego opinii. Każdą piosenkę śpiewa na jedno kopyto - długie samogłoski i narastające vibrato. Po tym pierwszym utworze już głównie się nudziłem. Jego sposób śpiewania kojarzy mi się trochę "Smells Like Nirvana" Weird Ala Yankovica. Tam jest taki fragment "It's hard to bargle nawdle zouss With all these marbles in my mouth". I tu też miałem wrażenie, jakby chłop czegoś z pyska nie wyjął przy śpiewaniu. Słabe 2,5.

Love the cover art. The Bolero action in the first track really got me excited about the album, that it would be a fun musical treasure chest. Sadly there wasn't quite as much of that kind of wittiness as I was hoping for. I'm good with over dramatic but I feel we veered into maudlin territory; also a bit Thom Yorke-y for my taste. A shame, I really wanted to like this album. "Medusa kiss me and crucify this unholy notion of the mythic power of love"? Yeesh.

It's not my thing, but not terrible to listen to as background noise.

Boring and whiney

I guess this is fine, but I can't stand this type of music. Overproduced ballads that belong in some corny movie or play.

Yeah, it’s a pretty little thing, this album, but is it all that memorable? I listened to this while painting and the lyrics in Vibrate gave me a chortle, but not much else gave me a vibe. David Bowie name-checked Dinner at Eight, so that bumps this by a star for me. Just.

Not for me....