Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall

The Sunday Age

Sunday January 13, 2008

Guy Blackman

4/5

Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall

Rufus Wainwright, Geffen/Universal

It's probably safe to say that Judy Garland is a favourite among older gay men because her torturous story connects with their own experiences in more repressive times. Younger men, however, have not flocked to Judy in the same way, and so this note-perfect rendition of Garland's famous 1961 concert album is purely Wainwright's obsession. As he says during the concert: "When I was a kid I wanted to be Dorothy - on good days. On bad days, I wanted to be the Wicked Witch." What's more, it's the product of an almost limitless ego. Only Wainwright would cast himself in this role, which feels less like a genuine tribute than a sly challenge. And only Wainwright could pull it off, coming into his own here as a singer of richly sentimental standards - and actually surpassing many of his own solo albums.

Key track: It might be a cliche, but Wainwright's passionate version of Over The Rainbow is the album's emotional centrepiece.

© 2008 The Sunday Age

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