Hot Sheet: Rufus, and

Music

 

Rufus Wainwright — All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu
Wainwright’s edgy new album, All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu, showcases the artist's love for opera and has a melancholy tone. Wainwright’s alter ego, Lulu, similar to Shakespeare’s dark lady, is said to represent the dark woman who lives inside all of us. The album’s first single is “Who Are You New York?” and there are several Shakespearean sonnets sprinkled into Wainwright’s track listing.

Toni Braxton — Pulse
Pulse is Toni Braxton’s first album with Atlantic Records and promises to usher in the return of the R&B diva. The video for “Yesterday,” Braxton’s song with the very ripped Trey Songz, features a shirtless Songz in passionate embraces with Braxton, wearing underwear and heels. The diva did double duty by filming and releasing the videos for her next two singles within one day of each other.

Natalie Merchant — Leave Your Sleep
Natalie Merchant’s Leave Your Sleep is a concept two-disc compilation album featuring music adapted from 19th- and 20th-century British and American poetry about childhood. Merchant’s fifth album, Leave Your Sleep features Celtic tones in addition to a variety of influences from other cultures.