Rufus Wainwright has gained rave reviews for his music and rightly so as he is the master of crafting highly listenable songs that embrace many musical genres be it pop, acoustic or folk. The Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant is executive producer and appears on many of the songs as well.

On first listen this album’s musical arrangements sound a lot like latter day Divine Comedy. It is only Rufus’s vocal that lets this album down at times as his delivery is often at one level only.

Lyrically he is on fine form taking a pop at George Bush and then going off on a song about masturbation! The songs with the rich backing are the ones that keep me coming back for more such as ‘Sanssouci’ and the opening track ‘Do I Disappoint You’ that even throws in a children’s chorus to the musical mix.

Another fine release from Rufus Wainwright, possibly his best work yet and perfect for fans of the Divine Comedy.

****

Review by Jason Ritchie