Rufus Wainwright

Part touching homage, part delightful camp, Rufus “That’s Entertainment” Wainwright’s latest double disc has the potential to open up the pop opera connoisseur to a whole new audience-even if that means alienating a couple casual fans in the process. The live album, recorded during Wainwright’s two-night stint at the famed Manhattan venue, is 26 songs rich with classic Garland. Together with Stephen Oremus’s beautiful orchestration, tunes like “Come Rain or Come Shine” and “If Love Were All” simultaneously honor the late songstress and allow Wainwright the opportunity to showcase his vocal chops. Add to that three poignantly anecdotal pages of program notes-including a picture of Rufus’s parents attending Garland’s 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall-and an abundance of cheeky onstage banter, and you’ve got yourself a live record done right.