CD Review

Artist: Rufus Wainwright

Title: Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall

Label: Universal Music Group

Released: December 4^th 2007

Website: www.rufuswainwright.com  

3 ½ Stars 

Reviewed By: Kindah Mardam Bey 

Judy, Judy, Judy! Who doesn’t love Judy? Well I know someone who does….Rufus Wainwright. So sayeth his Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall, where Wainwright recreates Judy Garland’s famous 1961 performance at….you got it, Carnegie Hall. All of Garland’s hits from that concert are aired and reminisced over; such as ‘That’s Entertainment,’ ‘Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart,’ ‘Stormy Weather,’ ‘You Go To My Head,’ ‘Chicago’ and ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow.’ 

Garland’s original concert was considered "the greatest single night in show business," so Wainwright took the plunge into the depths of nostalgia with a 40-piece orchestra helmed by musical director Stephen Oremus or added flare! This two disc collection has 26 songs in total and you can buy both the CD and DVD of Wainwrights’ trip down memory lane.  

Rufus Does Judy has a charming appeal to it. We can all sing along with these classic hits of stage and screen that Garlands’ voice always seem to infuse with such depth and melancholia, or at times pizzazz. Wainwright captures the details of the first concert in his own version with little comments like ‘I’ll be speaking here as…well Judy did in her concert.’ Wainwright really shines with his exposing and dramatic humour, you know he’d be a great dinner party guest at almost any occasion. Listening to his Rufus Does Judy makes you feel as though you are sat around at a cocktail party listening to the witty banter of a present day Noel Coward; adding quips and comments about the dinner guests.  

Wainwright includes in the mix his sister Martha onto ‘Stormy Weather,’ sings ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ to his Mother Katie McGarrigle and the daughter of Garland, Lorna Luft sings with Wainwright a saucy rendition of ‘After You’ve Gone.’ 

I am a little torn on this collection as it is a camped out version of Garland, and what enthusiast of the genre wouldn’t love that? But if you aren’t a fan of camp but are a fan of Judy Garland, this might be the penny and dime show you didn’t realize you were buying. I do enjoy camp, with its tongue in cheek nature, and on that aspect Rufus Does Judy was a great collection. However, Wainwrights’ voice does not bring to the songs that same dynamic essence that Judy Garland does, so all the songs drew direct comparison which never seemed to measure up. In that regard, I felt the uncanny urge to track down my own collection of Judy Garland, just to here her perform the songs once again pitch perfect. So I was put in a dilemma on Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall; its obvious Wainwright loves to sing Judy, but do we love Rufus singing Judy?

Disc: 1

1. Overture: The Trolley Song/Over The Rainbow/The Man That Got Away 2. When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You) 3. Medley: Almost Like Being In Love/This Can't Be Love 4. Do It Again 5. You Go To My Head 6. Alone Together 7. Who Cares? (As Long As You Care For Me) 8. Puttin' On The Ritz 9. How Long Has This Been Going On 10. Just You, Just Me 11. The Man That Got Away 12. San Francisco 

Disc: 2

1. That's Entertainment 2. I Can't Give You Anything But Love 3. Come Rain Or Come Shine 4. You're Nearer 5. A Foggy Day 6. If Love Were All 7. Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart 8. Stormy Weather (Starring Martha Wainwright) 9. Medley: You Made Me Love You/For Me And My Gal/The Trolley Song 10. Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody 11. Over The Rainbow (featuring Kate McGarrigle) 12. Swanee 13. After You've Gone (featuring Lorna Luft) 14. Chicago