Rufus Wainwright – Folkocracy (2023) [CD-Quality + Hi-Res] [Official Digital Release]

Rufus Wainwright – Folkocracy (2023) [CD-Quality + Hi-Res]
[Official Digital Release]
Hi-Res / FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 96kHz | CD-Quality / FLAC Tracks / 16bit / 44.1kHz
Total Size: 1.42 GB
Label: BMG | Genre: Folk

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 Träume” 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. While not all of Folkocracy is memorable, successful experiments and moving performances outnumber the more routine, and it closes on another highlight, 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. ― Allmusic

Tracklist
01. Alone (feat. Madison Cunningham) – 03:14
02. Heading for Home (feat. John Legend) – 04:22
03. Twelve-Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon) [feat. Susanna Hoffs, Chris Stills & Sheryl Crow] – 03:42
04. Down in the Willow Garden (feat. Brandi Carlile) – 03:06
05. Shenandoah – 03:18
06. Nacht und Träume – 02:42
07. Harvest (feat. Andrew Bird & Chris Stills) – 03:03
08. Going to a Town (feat. Anohni) – 04:16
09. High on a Rocky Ledge (feat. David Byrne) – 04:25
10. Kaulana Nā Pua (feat. Nicole Scherzinger) – 03:37
11. Hush Little Baby (feat. Martha Wainwright & Lucy Wainwright Roche) – 03:54
12. Black Gold (feat. Van Dyke Parks) – 04:41
13. Cotton Eyed Joe (feat. Chaka Khan) – 03:16
14. Arthur McBride – 07:33
15. Wild Mountain Thyme (feat. Anna McGarrigle, Chaim Tannenbaum, Lily Lanken, Lucy Wainwright Roche & Martha Wainwright) – 05:46

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CD-Quality
LMA_RUWA.2023.F_DR_16-44.rar
Hi-Res
LMA_RUWA.2023.F_DR_24-96.rar
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