The B-Side

Thursday was an atypical night for Rufus Wainwright. From his 1998 self-titled debut album through his latest studio offering, 2007's "Release the Stars," the singer has often surrounded his highly theatrical voice with ornate and elaborate orchestration and arrangements. However, when he took the stage at Red Bank's Count Basie Theatre last night (Feb. 12), Wainwright was armed only with a grand piano, a couple of his guitars and the occasional assist from his folk-singing sister, Lucy Wainwright Roche. Of course, Wainwright also had his songs, which have been so good over the years that Elton John once hailed him as "the greatest songwriter on the planet."