Rufus Wainwright

Rufus Wainwright's 1998 debut presented the kind of artist who hadn't emerged on a major label since folks like Van Dyke Parks (who co-produced a couple of tracks here) and Harry Nilsson created quirky, complex, melodic pop masterpieces in the late '60s. Informed by everything from classical music and jazz to Tin Pan Alley, singer/pianist Wainwright crafts a rarefied blend of pop song and art song, weaving beguiling tunes like the deceptively sunny "April Fools," the Spanish-tinged "Barcelona," and the wistful, yearning "Sally Ann."