One album I’m looking forward to more than any other this year is Rufus Wainwright‘s upcoming Out Of The Game produced by none other than Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Duran Duran, Lily Allen). From all accounts it’s going to be one of the best of the entire year, and even Ronson himself is calling it “the best work of my life.” If that right there isn’t reason enough to get excited then I’m not sure what is. Wainwright hasn’t made a pop album in yeeeeeeears, so it’s going to be amazing to see what he comes up with (Rufus’s 2002 album ‘Poses‘ is one of my favorite albums of all time, the title track of which is just about as good as music gets — gives me the tingles each and every time I listen to it).
Out Of The Game was recorded in Brooklyn in the fall of 2011, and all twelve songs are hook-laden, and combine to serve as a self-confessed love letter (on both Wainwright’s and Ronson’s part) to the glory days of the 1970s. Some of the tracks on the album include: “Out Of The Game,” “Jericho,” “Welcome To The Ball,” “Montauk,” “Bitter Tears,” “Respectable Dive” and “Perfect Man.” In an interview with ArjanWrites, Ronson commented: “Rufus is so incredibly prolific. His work ranges from opera to piano torch songs to super eccentric stuff, and this was a record reigning some of that in. It has a sort of really warm, mid ’70s T-Rex, Young Americans, Laurel Canyon kind of vibe to it. It’s great. There are some amazing songs on the album.”
One of Ronson’s biggest artistic challenges was figuring out how to take Rufus’s complex timing and make sense of it in order for a band to play behind it in order to anchor it down. Ronson admits it was the most challenging record he has ever worked on, but also the most creatively rewarding. Decca released a brand new teaser for the album, which will have to tide you over until the album’s release date on May 1st. I haven’t even heard it yet, but I can hardly wait to hear it live! To enter the incredible world of Rufus Wainwright be sure to visit RufusWainwright.com, and you can pre-order the album by CLICKING HERE. I’ve also attached Rufus’s phenomenal 2002 song “Poses” for your listening pleasure below as well.
