Rufus Wainwright

Rufus Wainwright\'s 1998 debut presented the kind of artist who hadn\'t emerged on a major label since folks like Van Dyke Parks (who co-produced a couple of tracks here) and Harry Nilsson created quirky, complex, melodic pop masterpieces in the late \'60s. Informed by everything from classical music and jazz to Tin Pan Alley, singer/pianist Wainwright crafts a rarefied blend of pop song and art song, weaving beguiling tunes like the deceptively sunny \"April Fools,\" the Spanish-tinged \"Barcelona,\" and the wistful, yearning \"Sally Ann.\"

What separates Rufus Wainwright and the other second-generation singers who sprang up at the same time (Sean Lennon, Emma Townshend, and Chris Stills the most notable among them) is that Wainwright deserves to be heard regardless of his family tree; in fact, the issue of his parentage is ultimately as immaterial as that of his sexuality -- this self-titled debut cares little for the rock clichés of an earlier generation, instead heralding the arrival of a unique and compelling voice steeped most solidly in the traditions of cabaret.