Now Rufus Wainwright reviewed it for you

I discovered Rufus before genuinely getting to know the songs of his mother (Kate McGarrigle), sisters (Martha and Lucy), and father (Loudon Wainwright III). Like so many, I came to Rufus via his early cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and his first release in 1989, including the incredible releases “In My Arms,” “Millbrook,” “Beauty Mark,” and “Barcelona.” I recognized the operatic range, English Major rich pop song content, and passionate delivery from the start.

“Millbrook”

The boys and girls of Millbrook are on a train from new york
Wearing new hats
Shooting the shit
Deep in the heart of duchess county bounty
And all the evening breakdowns will soon be washed from their hands
The next very day
As they make way
Eating the apple to the chapel holy
Don’t even try
They’ll get away with murder
Sure as the rain washes away
And brings thunder
Oh tell me can you see it?
The gentle tower rising
Over the pines, out of a book
Zion mistaken for the state of Millbrook

In My Arms stands out from this period (included below).  In My Arms is a great song by any metric.

Now we have Rufus Wainwright’s 2020 release, “Unfollow the Rules,” thanks again to New Yorker Magazine, Goings on about town coverage.  Remember that Rufus put in considerable effort honing his talent and following in Manhattan.  The New York period was creatively rich with opera and recreation of Judy Garland’s famed Carnegie Hall concert from 1974.

What to say about this new release, Unfollow the Rules?   This is not a review; we have only listened to one track.   This article is about how we got here. This article is about our relationship with the Artist known as Rufus Wainwright.  Our first hearing of Rufus was when Rufus covered Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah before all the rest. Rufus introduced us to this multi-layered gospel song, written by a Jewish poet who practiced Zen Buddhism.