Release the Stars

( 6 )

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Matt Collar
If ever there was an artist that embodied both the urbane popular songsmithing of Cole Porter and the epic winged grandeur of Richard Wagner it is Rufus Wainwright. Having not so much perfected as succumbed to this yin-yang pull on his laboriously ambitious and intermittently inspired 2003 and 2004 albums Want One and Want Two, Wainwright once again delivers a baroque collection of songs on 2007's Release the Stars. Recorded at least partially in Berlin and London with Pet Shop Boys lead Neil Tennant, the album finds Wainwright casting himself as a kind of expatriate torch singer, a veritable Marlene Dietrich of emotion who, as he laments on "Going to a Town," is "so tired ...
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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Matt Collar
If ever there was an artist that embodied both the urbane popular songsmithing of Cole Porter and the epic winged grandeur of Richard Wagner it is Rufus Wainwright. Having not so much perfected as succumbed to this yin-yang pull on his laboriously ambitious and intermittently inspired 2003 and 2004 albums Want One and Want Two, Wainwright once again delivers a baroque collection of songs on 2007's Release the Stars. Recorded at least partially in Berlin and London with Pet Shop Boys lead Neil Tennant, the album finds Wainwright casting himself as a kind of expatriate torch singer, a veritable Marlene Dietrich of emotion who, as he laments on "Going to a Town," is "so tired of America." In that sense, Release the Stars is at once intensely personal and utterly theatrical with Wainwright playing both ingénue and femme fatale in a series of increasingly cinematic pop-operas about true love gone not so much bad, but sad. He pleads to make it to the other side of town, and possibly the other side of monogamy, with his brown-eyed lover in "Tiergarten" and dreams lazily about, "the boys that made me lose the blues and then my eyesight" on "Sanssouci." While these songs are lushly produced, often with full orchestration, and while Wainwright has a knack for pretty, lilting melodies and concrete imagery there is nonetheless a distinct lack of pop hooks here. In fact, only the chugging T. Rex inspired glam rock of "Between My Legs" gets at any real pop meat. The main problem is that it's never quite clear if Wainwright, who has always been to pop music as cabaret is to Broadway, is dressing opera up as pop or vice versa. But when you wear custom Lederhosen as well as Wainwright does throughout the album liner notes, does it really matter? [The CD was also released with a DVD.]
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 5/15/2007
  • Label: Geffen Records
  • UPC: 602517301610
  • Catalog Number: 000876702
  • Sales rank: 41,210

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Do I Disappoint You (4:40)
  2. 2 Going to a Town (4:06)
  3. 3 Tiergarten (3:26)
  4. 4 Nobody's off the Hook (4:27)
  5. 5 Between My Legs (4:26)
  6. 6 Rules and Regulations (4:05)
  7. 7 Not Ready to Love (5:51)
  8. 8 Slideshow (6:21)
  9. 9 Tulsa (2:19)
  10. 10 Leaving for Paris, No. 2 (4:52)
  11. 11 Sanssouci (5:16)
  12. 12 Release the Stars (5:20)
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
Rufus Wainwright Primary Artist, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Piano, Vocals, Guitar (Nylon String)
Richard Thompson Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
Matt Johnson Percussion, Drums, Recorder, Background Vocals
Ian Thomas Drums
Julianna Raye Tambourine, Background Vocals
Barry Danielian Trumpet
Marius de Vries Conductor, Breathing
Rachelle Garniez Accordion, Claviola
Dan Levine Trombone
The London Session Orchestra Strings
John Medeski Piano
Jenni Muldaur Background Vocals
Larry Mullins Bongos, Castanets, Cymbals, Bass Drums, Glockenspiel, Marimbas, Tabla, Tambourine, Triangle, Bells, Timpani, Vibes, Shaker, cowbell, Wood Block
Jack Petruzzelli Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Electric Guitar, Background Vocals
Tony Scherr Upright Bass
Neil Tennant Synthesizer, Keyboards, Background Vocals, Sampling, Vibes, Loops, Breathing
Gerry Leonard Guitar, Electric Guitar
Carl Albach Trumpet, Piccolo Trumpet
Smokey Hormel Guitar
Briggan Krauss Baritone Saxophone
Kenny Wollesen Drums
Kate McGarrigle Piano
Martha Wainwright Background Vocals
Joan Wasser Violin, Electric Guitar, Background Vocals
Sharon Jones Background Vocals
Dominic Derasse Trumpet, Piccolo Trumpet
John Chudoba Trumpet
Dave Trigg Trumpet, Piccolo Trumpet
Siân Phillips Spoken Word
Brad Albetta Bass
Rob Burger Organ
Perry Mason Leader
Jason Hart Organ, Background Vocals
Steven Bernstein Trumpet, Conductor, Leader
Teddy Thompson Background Vocals
Paul Shapiro Tenor Saxophone
Jeff Hill Bass, Electric Bass, Background Vocals, Upright Bass
Louis Schwadron French Horn
Lucy Roche Background Vocals
Dávid Adorján Cello
Gabriel Adorján Violin
Ozan Cakar French Horn
Florian Dörpholz Trumpet
Lygia Forrest Background Vocals
Pirmin Grehl Flute
Raphael Mentzen Trumpet
Ronith Mues Harp
Rahel Rilling Violin
Raphael Sachs Viola
Jörg Sandner Piano
Anna Prohaska Vocals
Technical Credits
Marius de Vries Programming, Producer
Neil Tennant Executive Producer, Audio Production
Rufus Wainwright Composer, Producer, Horn Arrangements, String Arrangements, Orchestral Arrangements, Audio Production, Piano Arrangement, Cover Art, Cover Photo
Tom Schick Engineer
Steven Bernstein Arranger
Tom Stephan Programming
Ryan Smith Mastering
Jason Boshoff Programming
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 6 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(4)

4 Star

(2)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

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1 Star

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Sort by: Showing all of 6 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    5 star for everything!

    I am a HUGE fan of Rufus Wainwright, first discovered him from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack and has fallen in love with his music ever since. His music has also helped me through some serious times and I know it sounds cheesy and a lot of people say his music is only for depressed people, it's true and not true. His music is for everyone. Favorite songs from this album: Going to a Town, Between my Legs, Slideshow, Sanssouci. All of the songs on this album are EXCELLENT. There are powerful pop opera ballads and wonderful danceable tunes, this album has everything ! Love Rufus !

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    A reviewer

    A+++++++++ This album is amazing!!!! Many say it's Rufus's best yet. I advise everyone to buy it whether you're a fan of pop, rock, classical, opera, or just great songwriting- Rufus manages to take all of his influences into brilliant masterpieces on this album.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 25, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 24, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 25, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 6, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 6 Customer Reviews