Release Date: May 1st, 2012
He’s written an opera. He’s released a staggering 19-disk anthology chronicling his life’s work. Naturally, Rufus Wainwright’s next move was to make a dance-pop record, right? A relentless work ethic and willingness to experiment has produced Out of the Game, one of Wainwright’s most innovative, cheerful records yet.
The 12-track groove monster kicks off with the first single and title track. Wainwright’s tenor bounces across peppy drums and staccato piano as he chants “I’m out of the game/I’ve been out for a long time now.” Considering it’s only been a year since the release of House of Rufus, it’s hard to believe Wainwright has found any time to sit on the sidelines. But this soulful Michael Bublé reminiscent cut is a triumphant entrance back into music.
“Rashida” dwells in Wainwright’s accustomed melancholy territory, with down-tempo vocals and lyrics depicting abandonment and yearning. The song features a grand horn interlude combined with the warm but all too familiar of the gospel choir.
Marking the halfway point is “Montauk” which, thankfully, begins with a fairly simple arrangement compared to the rest of the record. Wainwright channels his signature scale-jumping vocals and is the main focus of the song. Producer Mark Ronson’s presence is noticeable but not overwhelming, with electronic accents punctuating the otherwise sleepy track.
“Perfect Man” is a bass-powered funk jam; Wainwright’s musical inspirations for the record, David Bowie and Queen, are overwhelmingly evident. The constant tempo changes and musical psychedelia with Wainwright’s droning vocal style conjure images of a manic depressive Freddie Mercury. Wainwright and Ronson seem to have reached creative equilibrium on this track, each artist’s signature styles no longer compete with one another—they complement each other and create a distinctive mood.
Acoustic guitar makes it first and only appearance on closing track “Candles,” and pushes Wainwright’s vocal range to a delicate falsetto. Accordion Lyrics like “I tried to do all that I can/ but the churches have run out of candles” seem to make an allusion to his mother, Canadian folk singer Kate McGarrigle’s death. Clocking in at nearly eight minutes, “Candles” is an emotionally draining track but leaves with it a hunger for more, an element absent in the album as a whole.
A commendable effort for his seventh studio album, it must be mentioned that Wainwright shows a zeal for adventure on this record. And while another sad-sap piano club record would have sounded tired, it would have been much truer than Out of the Game, which can be contrived and disjointed. Wainwright has tried his hand at dance pop and swingy funk, now let’s hear some melancholy ballads.
Rufus Wainwright – Out of the Game tracklist:
- “Out of the Game”
- “Jericho”
- “Rashida”
- “Barbara”
- “Welcome to the Ball”
- “Montauk”
- “Bitter Tears”
- “Respectable Dive”
- “Perfect Man”
- “Sometimes You Need”
- “Song of You”
- “Candles”
