CD. RUFUS WAINWRIGHT. TAKE ALL MY LOVES

Who else but Wainwright would take Shakespearean sonnets, miss out the hits, spin them into an album that's half pop and half classical, and then release it to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the Bard's passing? . . . The gentle sway of Sonnet 20 (A Woman's Face) is a highlight of the album, Wainwright's reprise both poignant and dreamlike.

. . . this one's a doozy, even by his standards . . . [the album] finds Wainwright tackling the Bard's work in a grandly sweeping collection of recordings . . . Rufus Wainwright and his many guests pile on the gravitas while still transforming and illuminating Shakespeare's material with playful and provocative spirits. For a singer and composer who's always toyed with ways to pair pop showmanship with a classical musician's finely honed chops, "Take All My Loves" feels like a natural culmination of Wainwright's many passions . . .