RUFUS WAINWRIGHT

Folkocracy (BMG)

With a guest list that features Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow, John Legend and Chaka Khan, Rufus Wainwright has taken the duets album concept to typically grandiose heights for Folkocracy. Coming from a family of folk royalty, Wainwright figured he’d missed a trick sitting in last year’s Grammys and seeing the amount of folk categories and winning albums. To say he’s put himself in contention with Folkocracy would be an understatement.

The selection of material – Peggy Seeger, The Mamas & The Papas, Schubert – are a perfect illustration of how folk music means something different to everyone. The performances are typically sublime, with every track possessing its own identity while staying perfectly Rufus at all times; Neil Young’s Harvest could be a standout track, but so could they all. And the duets? Well, Rufus has deftly avoided the trap of creating a successful album he can’t tour by making it a collection of collaborations where the arrangements are as important as the performers. Family legacy upheld and extended, again.

words JOHN-PAUL DAVIES