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May 31, 2023A collection that is deeply reverential to the Americanised folk music form, and which also gratefully repays the debt that Rufus Wainwright owes it.
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Jun 6, 2023Folkocracy is a fun listen.
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Jun 2, 2023While 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.
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Jun 2, 2023Mid-record gems and unexpected collaborations make certain songs worth a save, and whoever stands at the intersection of the operatic pop and Americana fandoms is surely rejoicing today. It falters toward the tail end in its own self-seriousness, but Wainwright would be hard-pressed not to create a gorgeous musical landscape wherever he goes.
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UncutMay 31, 2023He puts a uniquely Rufus twist on the likes of "Shenandoah" and "Wild Mountain Thyme" of course, singing them in his best operatic tenor with a touch of John Jacob Niles. [Jul 2023, p.36]
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Jun 5, 2023The less good news is that although every pairing has juice in it – the inclusion of a Nicole Scherzinger-paired Hawaiian traditional is a great curveball – many of these songs feel like over-pretty drawing room star turns. Nothing here is slick, exactly, but much tends towards mellifluous pleasantness – even the songs about protest and murder.
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Jun 1, 2023It’s a record that feels like a cosy hub of creative minds reminiscing about their memories – unhurried and finely reflective. Sadly, that’s much about it.
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MojoMay 31, 2023If it has little earth under its nails, with any background maid or shepherd perfectly cast and choreographed, there are still plenty of lovely, curious tableaux - among them David Byrne's dreamy appearance on Moondog's High On A Rocky Ledge, or Nina Simone-inspired Cotten Eyed Joe, featuring Chaka Khan. [Jul 2023, p.89]
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May 31, 2023It all stays just on the right side of self-indulgent, although like most albums consisting mainly of cover versions, there are peaks and troughs.