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Musical Wizard Dabbles In Self-Indulgence

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By CURTIS ROSS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 27, 2007

The inevitable question is "Why?" and the inevitable answer is, of course, "Because he can." "Judy at Carnegie Hall," recorded and released in 1961, is not only a much-loved collection of great pre-rock pop tunes, it's as much a part of Garland's legacy as "The Wizard of Oz."

"Judy" is how a lot of people remember Garland, and if remaking it isn't exactly casting himself as Dorothy in a new "Wizard" - a thought the young Wainwright might have entertained, judging from some between-song banter - it's still an act of unbridled ego.

To which Wainwright would likely respond, "Present!"

So the boy's not lacking in the self-confidence department. And for the most part he acquits himself well here, save for "Do It Again," in which his quavering upper-register threatens to waver off pitch at any second.

The ego doesn't preclude him having a laugh at his own expense, either, and his chatter is perhaps the most memorable part of the disc. That's because, while Wainwright sings these songs well, he doesn't sing them spectacularly.

Maybe he could. But there's a distance here, a coolness, an unwillingness to let himself be consumed by the songs' emotions that assures Wainwright's Garland is a 2-D replica.

But at least the worst moment on the album doesn't belong to him. That dishonor goes to sister Martha, whose painful vibrato makes "Stormy Weather" an inclement event indeed.

Download this: "The Man That Got Away"

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