Rufus Wainwright's recording career has frequently diverged from straightforward albums of his lyrical chamber pop originals, with digressions into
Judy Garland appreciation (
Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall,
Rufus Does Judy at Capitol Studios), poetry scoring (
Take All My Loves: 9 Shakespeare Sonnets), and even opera (
Prima Donna) among his now extensive output. The star-studded
Folkocracy finds the composer/songwriter setting down his pen and embracing his family's folk roots on a set of 15 folk covers selected with longtime collaborator/producer
Mitchell Froom. While the album does delve into unusually -- for
Wainwright -- rustic traditional fare, selections keep listeners on their toes by not only broadly defining folk, but with a slew of diverse guest singers and arrangements that, at least occasionally, stray into lush orchestral territory. It begins with a spare, electric guitar version of
Ewan MacColl's "Alone" featuring
Madison Cunningham, who duets with
Wainwright here but sings backup and plays guitar elsewhere on the album.
MacColl's widow,
Peggy Seeger, is represented next on
Folkocracy, with the livelier "Heading for Home," sung here by
Wainwright and
John Legend, who are backed by banjo, strings, and a rhythm section. While the performances are already impressive, up next is the record's first genuine surprise: a spot-on version of
the Mamas & the Papas' "Twelve-Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon)" by
Wainwright,
Sheryl Crow,
Susanna Hoffs, and
Chris Stills. A pair of traditional picks come next, including the murder ballad " Down in the Willow Garden" (an acoustic version featuring
Brandi Carlile) before
Wainwright takes some liberties with his definition of folk in a midsection that sandwiches
Neil Young's "Harvest" (featuring
Andrew Bird and
Chris Stills) between
Franz Schubert's "Nacht und Traeume" and
Wainwright's own "Going to a Town" from 2007's
Release the Stars. A legitimate protest song, the latter's haunting strings, percussive guitar strumming, and spectral accompaniment by
Anohni turn out to be an album highlight. After a sweetly touching take on
Moondog's "High on a Rocky Ledge" by
Wainwright with
David Byrne, the back half of the album concentrates on traditional material spanning Hawaiian protest song "Kaulana Na Pua" (featuring
Nicole Scherzinger) and a "Cotton Eye Joe" modeled after a lesser-known live recording by
Nina Simone and featuring
Chaka Khan.
Folkocracy closes poignantly on a reverent "Wild Mountain Thyme" featuring
Rufus, his sister
Lucy Wainwright Roche, aunt
Anna McGarrigle, cousin
Lily Lanken, and
Chaim Tannenbaum (
Rufus' sister
Martha appears elsewhere on the album). His mother,
Kate McGarrigle, is also represented;
Tannenbaum plays her banjo on the track. ~ Marcy Donelson
