We got an early listen to Rufus Wainwright’s “most pop album [he’s] ever made” last week in the form of a promising yet decidedly un-poppy cut called “Montauk,” but this week comes a preview of the title track, a mid-tempo jam that might make for a better fit on Top 40 radio… if it were the late 1970s. Which, as longtime Steely Dan fans, means this one is being thoroughly enjoyed around here.
Producer Mark Ronson has a solid reputation for revitalizing older genres in a worthwhile way and this is a prime example: Rufus sounds remarkably comfortable crooning lounge vox atop a steady beat with a few breezy, smooth guitar licks thrown in for good measure. Hear the track below, thanks to a Tumblr post by Ronson himself: