Categories : Folk + Roots, Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 4 / 5 Reviewer: Kevin Hartford |
Listening to All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu, the latest effort from singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, is like listening to the most depressing lounge act in the fanciest lounge in the world. The production is impeccable, the songs are well-written, and Wainwright’s voice is richer than it has ever been, but Lulu doesn’t mince words when it comes to its dark subject matter – the rapidly declining health of Wainwright’s mother, folk singer Kate McGarrigle, who died of cancer two months before the album’s release.
The closing track, ‘Zebulon,’ contains the line, “My mom is in the hospital,” and the song ‘Martha’ is written as a message left for his famous sister, in which he implores her to come to Canada to visit their ailing mother. The lyrics of ‘Martha’ would be almost uncomfortable to listen to were they not being communicated by such a soulful voice, and Lulu is Wainwright at his best as far as vocals are concerned – his singing has a tendency to come across as overly nasal at times, but he avoids that here.
It’s not a joyful record. Even the liveliest number, ‘Give Me What I Want and Give It To Me Now!’ manages to be sad. ‘True Loves,’ in which Wainwright explains that his true loves are the ones that make him want to cry, is either a torch song or a cry for help. In ‘Sad With What I Have,’ he asks, “How could someone so bright love someone so blue?”
The best track on Lulu is probably the opener, ‘Who Are You New York,’ featuring Wainwright’s drawn-out vocals over a cascading, repetitive piano. It’s a winner. So is the album, with one small catch: this is the kind of thing you’ll be listening to by yourself. It’s pretty, but not pretty enough to be relaxing, and the dark tone of the lyrics means it’s not something you’ll be playing for your friends.
