Poses

Poses is the second studio album by the American-Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, released through DreamWorks Records in June 2001. The album was recorded, mixed, and produced by Pierre Marchand, with select tracks produced by Propellerheads' Alex Gifford ("Shadows"), Ethan Johns ("California"), Damian LeGassick ("The Tower of Learning"), and Greg Wells ("Across the Universe").

Poses contains ornate, piano-driven arrangements that cite a wide variety of musical sources, from "indie pop to Gershwin to trip-hop and back again." The album took a year and a half to record, with most of it written during Wainwright's six-month stay at the Chelsea Hotel. While Poses continues the enveloping sound established by Wainwright's debut album, collaborations between Wainwright and various producers and guest musicians pushed it in different directions, resulting in drum loops, "gritty beats in unexpected places", and a "fuller, live" sound. Using fewer operatic elements than the previous album, in an attempt to create a more radio-friendly pop record, Poses addresses debauchery and love in less esoteric means. Guests on the album include Wainwright's sister, Martha Wainwright, fellow singer-songwriter Teddy Thompson, and rock musician Melissa Auf der Maur.

All tracks were written by Wainwright except for "Shadows", which was co-written by Alex Gifford, and "One Man Guy", a song written and originally performed by Wainwright's father, Loudon Wainwright III. The bonus track "Across the Universe" is a Lennon–McCartney song that Wainwright recorded initially for the 2001 film I Am Sam, and later re-recorded with producer Greg Wells for Poses.

Poses debuted at No. 117 on the Billboard 200, and Wainwright ranked No. 1 on Billboard magazine's Top Heatseekers chart. He won the Outstanding Music Album award at the 2002 GLAAD Media Awards, and at the Juno Awards of 2002 was nominated for Best Songwriter and took home the award for Best Alternative Album. Several years following its release, Poses was certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association and included on Mojo's "100 Modern Classics" list and on Out magazine's "100 Greatest, Gayest Albums" list.