Want Two (CD - 2004)

Personnel: Rufus Wainwright (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano); Antony (vocals); Gerry Leonard , Charlie Sexton (electric guitar); Kate McGarrigle (banjo); Maxim Moston (violin); Anna McGarrigle (accordion); Lily Lanken (recorder, background vocals); David Sapadin (clarinet); Jeff Hill , Troy Rinker Jr., Brad Albetta (bass instrument); Matt Johnson , Sterling Campbell (drums); Roberto Rodriguez (percussion); Martha Wainwright, Suzzy Roche, Teddy Thompson (background vocals).

Rufus Wainwright is a red-blooded romantic in a lineage that includes such diverse bards as poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, Broadway songwriter Cole Porter, and singer/songwriter Nick Drake. A conveyor of love's petulant mood swings, Wainwright explores the mechanics of need and sorrow, allowing gorgeous melodies--and a wry sense of humor--to soothe, if not cure, his tragic tendencies.

WANT TWO (the sequel to 2003's more subdued WANT ONE) opens with a haunting take on the Agnes Dei (here titled "Agnus Dei"), replete with guitar noise, orchestral accompaniment, and Cimbalom drone. This traditional Catholic prayer, a plea for mercy and peace, has never sounded so desperate, so dark, and yet, by track's end, so sweet and redemptive. The rest of the album expands on this lyrical theme of pleading and, melodically, echoes medieval church music, even as it flirts with a variety of rhythmic styles. "The Art Teacher" recalls a vintage Philip Glass piece, with its mesmerizing, repetitive block chords topped by a mournful, windblown melody, while the very pretty and hilarious "Gay Messiah" could be a Billy Joel Top 40 hit in a parallel universe. Though the conflict between desire and peace never quite resolves here, WANT TWO captures the beauty and excitement of the struggle, as told by an artist at the top of his game. (Note: A DVD of Wainwright performing in concert is included with the CD.) minimize