2x GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright has released “Damsels In Distress (Live From The Paramour)” today, a song off his extraordinary new concert recording. Rufus Wainwright: Unfollow The Rules – The Paramour Sessions arrives on vinyl and digital download on Friday, September 10; pre-orders are available now HERE.
PRE-ORDER RUFUS WAINWRIGHT: UNFOLLOW THE RULES – THE PARAMOUR SESSIONS
Rufus Wainwright: Unfollow The Rules – The Paramour Sessions sees Wainwright performing songs from his GRAMMY® Award-nominated 2020 album, Unfollow The Rules, along with other classic songs from his extraordinary canon, recorded live in a beautiful ballroom at the famed Paramour Mansion in Los Angeles. He’s accompanied by a guitarist, pianist, and string quartet. The setlist features two previously unreleased songs “Treat A Lady” and “Happy Easter.” Recorded during the first COVID wave, the musicians and producers followed all the safety guidelines to ensure the health of all those involved. The concert – which first premiered last summer in partnership with ALL ARTS, Arte/ZDF and the WNET Group (through which it is nominated for a New York EMMY®) – includes a striking new rendition of Unfollow The Rules’ “Damsels In Distress (Live From The Paramour),” available now at all DSPs and streaming services and as an instant grat download with all album pre-orders; an official live video premieres today at YouTube.
Wainwright just finished a tour of Europe and is looking forward to U.S. shows including headlining dates with Aimee Mann; a U.S. co-headline tour alongside José González; and a full band Unfollow The Rules U.K. tour. Additional dates will be announced soon. For complete details and remaining ticket availability, please see rufuswainwright.com/tour.
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
ON TOUR 2021
AUGUST
31 – Atlanta, GA - City Winery *
SEPTEMBER
1 – Nashville, TN – City Winery *
9 – Los Angeles CA – The Greek ‡
10 – San Diego CA – Humphreys ‡
12 – Saratoga, CA – Mountain Winery ‡
20 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater §
21 – Des Moines, IA – Hoyt Sherman Place §
23 – Minneapolis, MN – Northrop At UMN §
24 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre §
25 – Carmel, IN - The Palladium at The Center For The Performing Arts §
26 – Detroit, MI –Cathedral Theatre at The Masonic Temple §
28 – Washington, DC – The Anthem §
29 – Boston, MA – The Orpheum Theatre §
30 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17 §
OCTOBER
1 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre §
3 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount ¶
6 – Southampton, England – O2 Guildhall ¶
8 – Gateshead, England – The Sage ¶
9 – Edinburgh, Scotland – Usher Hall ¶
10 – Manchester, England – Bridgewater Hall ¶
12 – Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England – City Hall ¶
13 – York, England – Barbican ¶
15 – Cambridge, England – The Corn Exchange ¶
16 – Liverpool, England – Olympia ¶
18 – London, England – The London Palladium ¶
19 – London, England –The London Palladium ¶
20 – Brighton, England – Brighton Dome ¶
22 – Southend-on-Sea, England – Leas Cliffs Pavilion ¶
23 – Exeter, England – The Great Hall ¶
25 – Birmingham, England – Symphony Hall ¶
26 – Oxford, England –New Theatre Oxford ¶
27 – Cardiff, Wales – St. David's Hall ¶
* Solo Performance
‡ w/Aimee Mann
§ w/José González
¶ Unfollow The Rules w/full band
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Praised by the New York Times for his “genuine originality,” Rufus Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists, songwriters, and composers of his generation. The New York-born, Montreal-raised singer-songwriter has released ten studio albums to date, three DVDs, and three live albums including the GRAMMY®-nominated Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall. He has collaborated with artists such as Elton John, Burt Bacharach, Robert Wilson, David Byrne, Boy George, Joni Mitchell, Pet Shop Boys, Heart, Robbie Williams, Jessye Norman, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Sting, and producer Mark Ronson, among many others. Wainwright has written two operas, numerous songs for movies and TV, and is currently working on his first musical.
Last year saw the long-awaited release of Wainwright’s first new pop album since 2012, Unfollow The Rules. Produced by Mitchell Froom (Crowded House, Paul McCartney, Randy Newman) at a variety of legendary Los Angeles studios, the collection finds Wainwright at the peak of his powers, entering artistic maturity with passion, honesty, and a new-found fearlessness. Unfollow The Rules proved among last year’s most honored releases, earning international critical applause as well as a prestigious GRAMMY® Award nomination for “Best Traditional Pop Album” and Juno Award nod for “Adult Alternative Album of the Year.”
WORLDWIDE ACCLAIM FOR UNFOLLOW THE RULES
“A spectacular return to the tower of song and the game (Wainwright) plays best…brimming with memorable melodies, swooning arrangements and smart lyrics dreamily sung.”
– UNCUT
“A stately pop throwback full of (Wainwright’s) signature vocal grandeur… It’s a lush, grandiose place to be if you’re looking to get lost.”
– ROLLING STONE
“An opulently crafted highlight reel, a career-spanning sampler of Wainwright’s styles and guises…his songwriting is as sharp and cheeky as ever.”
– PITCHFORK
“Unfollow The Rules feels like a gentle stroll through the various stages of Rufus’s career; far from creating the impression of Rufus covering his own back catalogue, the effect is like a timely reminder of everything that’s wonderful about Wainwright.”
– CLASH (9/10)
“Wainwright has returned with a generous and positive record that suggests a more mature, philosophical perspective, thankfully without losing his impish sense of humor and taste for lavish arrangements.”
– RECORD COLLECTOR (****)
“Unfollow the Rules marks a welcome return to the opulent orchestration of Wainwright’s early albums…It’s good to have him back.”
– THE GUARDIAN (4/5)
“(Wainwright) sings with contentment, not complacency, as he saunters through the corridors of his life…This is one of Wainwright’s finest albums.”
– THE INDEPENDENT (4/5)
“Nobody sings quite like Rufus Wainwright, who, in a single breath, channels ennui and high drama while somehow managing to sound vaguely pissed off.”
– THE NEW YORKER
“Unfollow The Rules is a strikingly accomplished work – a song cycle of arresting poise, confident yet playful, eclectic yet cohesive, adventurous yet grounded.”
– MONTREAL GAZETTE
“Fans will relish afresh the ache in (Wainwright’s) voice, the soaring legato notes, the sumptuous strings, the mischievous sense of humor...With his musical voice well established, he feels free to do what he does best.”
– THE SCOTSMAN (****)
“The songs here constitute a high point in the songwriter’s career, and swing him back to when he started as a lithe songwriter and nimble singer…The effortlessly melodic end result is equal parts anguish, witty and wise.”
– THE IRISH TIMES (4/5)
“As always, (Wainwright) doesn’t hold back. This is lush, layered, romantic, passionate, feverish and febrile…If you have a taste for high drama, spicy food and all things baroque, rococo and lavishly decorated, Wainwright is the man.”
– FINANCIAL TIMES (4/5)
“The album’s lush production is an expression of Wainwright’s sheer creative force…His songwriting has matured to reveal him as a complex, mature observer of human nature – and himself.”
– NO DEPRESSION
“The clarity of the sound on Unfollow the Rules is crucial not only to the album’s evocation of paradise but also to it its suggestion of dangerous rot beneath the glossy floors. Problems can pop up in anyone’s life at any time, Wainwright suggests, but the warning signs in modern life seem more urgent than ever now.”
– AMERICAN SONGWRITER
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