Product Description

The fifth full length album from the prolific Canadian-American singer-songwriter is the follow up to 2004's criticallyacclaimed 'Want Two'. Executively produced by Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant, 'Release The Stars' sees Wainwright strivingto mature as a composer and performer, yet the album still retains his trademark musical mixture of unsurpassed grandeur and haunting simplicity. Features guest appearances from Richard Thompson, Joan As Policewoman and Sian Phillips.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Do I Disappoint You
2. Going To A Town
3. Tiergarten
4. Nobody's Off The Hook
5. Between My Legs
6. Rules And Regulations
7. Not Ready To Love
8. Slideshow
9. Tulsa
10. Leaving For Paris No 2
11. Sanssouci
12. Release The Stars
13. Do I Disappoint You

Disc 2:

1. Track By Track Interview
2. Art Teacher
3. Rebel Prince
4. Gay Messiah
5. Vibrate

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #54841 in Music
• Released on: 2007-05-14
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: CD+DVD

Amazon.co.uk Review
Recorded in Berlin and executive produced by the Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant, Rufus Wainwright's fifth album offers an ounce of restraint from the man that dressed up as Sir Lancelot's crossed girlfriend Lady Shallott on the cover of his last. Well, not really. Having fallen in love and curbed his self-destructive streak, the New York-born singer-songwriter has certainly sharpened his wit on Release the Stars but the songs remain as ornate and over-the-top as ever, drawing as much inspiration from opera and the musical theater as the desire to purge personal demons. So while Wainwright spends considerable time here pondering the state of the world ("Going to a Town") and his own battles with drug and sexual addiction ("Sanssouci"), every note is punctuated by a choir, orchestral swell, or big burst of brass. It wouldn't be Rufus with anything less. --Aidin Vaziri

Customer Reviews

Great album - DVD probably just for fans
I can't really add much to the very fair review by Ben below. I would probably differ from him on two counts: first, the DVD doesn't provide enough to warrant paying much over the basic album price. Although Rufus does provide a brief comment on each track, he did this much better (and for free) on his website for 'Want Two', and in in Rufusly absurd detail to boot.

As for where this album stands in relation to his previous work... I think many long-standing fans may not be blown away, but I do think this is a more assured, consistent and enjoyable album than anything he's done before. It's certainly a great album.

Buy this: be impressed
I am very biased when it comes to dear Rufus, BUT.... he has excelled himself. I love the Wagner, Mozart, Beethoven and Shubert overtones but please don't think that I am a classical junkie. My record collection contains Pixies, Breeders, Artic Monkeys, Queens of the stone age", "Foo Fighters" etc et al! please buy this album and make Rufus Wainwright enjoy the commercial recognition he really deserves. He is my hero.. please buy this and make an impact on the dross that it out there now. We can be saved by Rufus's lyrics.

for Tesco Man and Tesco Woman
this is a great CD- I too was worried as to whether it would live up to the 'Want' albums. It does, and is a more superficially commercial record. Is that such a bad thing? Would Ben of Ashbourne think it a bad thing if Tesco sold squillions of copies? Rufus deserves mainstream success- he is simply too good to stay on the sidelines.