For his 50e anniversary that he will celebrate in July, Rufus Wainwright gives himself quite a gift: a new album on which he reinvents folk classics in the company of numerous artists, including John Legend and Sheryl Crow.
David Byrne, Nicole Scherzinger, Chaka Khan, Andrew Bird, ANOHNI, Susanna Hoffs, Van Dyke Parks and Madison Cunningham also collaborated on Folkocracywhich will be released on June 2.
The album will include 15 pieces taken from the folk repertoire around the world. A first extract in which singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile participated, Down in the Willow Gardenhas just been revealed.
“The older I get, the more I appreciate the importance of my folk knowledge that was passed on to me as a child. […] I turned to opera and pop. Now I’m back where it all started,” Rufus Wainwright said in a statement.
A North American tour is planned to accompany Folkocracy. Concert dates will be announced shortly.