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Unlike his previous two releases, Wainwright's musings seem less focused and a little meandering on a handful of the songs.
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It would seem Wainwright has traded his operatic sensibilities for Broadway flair, which is as tired as swapping stilettos for orthopedic loafers.
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BlenderHe lays it on so thick, the music all but drowns in pretty surfaces. [Oct 2003, p.129]
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More scattered than his past works, Wainwright's skills bubble to the surface here only after repeated listens.
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Entertainment WeeklyIf Sondheim had been reared on old Van Dyke Parks records, he might sound like this. [26 Sep 2003, p.94]
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Want One matches the eclecticism of Poses and his eponymous debut, but suffers from a lack of memorable songs.
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Rufus is self-effacing and clever enough to keep the music from becoming totally insipid.
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MojoDespite such flamboyant touches, the songs here are more caustic than camp. [Oct 2003, p.120]
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Whether you listen closely, for the sonic textures, or in a cursory fashion, scouting out the allusions galore, with each listen you'll likely appreciate something different.
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Wainwright’s powers of observation recall both Morrissey and Cole Porter.
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A top-heavy album, with his best material-- the more operatic and unconstrained works-- all unfolded within the album's first half hour.
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It's a staggeringly ambitious album with an emotional complexity the like of which is rarely seen in pop music of any era, never mind this one.
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Q MagazineThe musical scope is breathtaking. [Dec 2003, p.139]
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This is a record of breathtaking, eccentric opulence.
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SpinThe arrangements are so ponderous, the vowel-masticating vocal languor so excessive, you almost wish he'd go whole hog and cover "Ave Maria." [Nov 2003, p.117]
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All but a couple of tracks here are dipped in the melodramatically thick strings of the opener- and the sum result is that it’s almost too much to take the whole LP in one sitting.
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Want One blows his music up to Cinemascope size.
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UncutTakes his lush, orchestrated pop to staggering new heights. [Nov 2003, p.124]
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Painful as the backstory gets, the work itself remains lovely and luxuriant.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 38 out of 44
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Mixed: 3 out of 44
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Negative: 3 out of 44
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DaveVDec 4, 2009If it were not for a couple of clunker tracks, the album as a whole would have been a perfect work of art.
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GeorgeC.Jul 16, 2009
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RobbieCNov 10, 2007Grandiose, tragic, dramatic, beautiful, and HONEST. A wonderful achievement.