His second concert livestream to be prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic (after Unfollow the Rules: The Paramour Session), 2021's Rufus Does Judy at Capitol Studios saw Rufus Wainwright revisit Judy Garland's famed Judy at Carnegie Hall concert. Previously covered by Wainwright with a 36-piece orchestra in 2006 for the following year's Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall, his 2021 take on the 1961 performance featured stripped-down arrangements consisting of only a four-piece jazz ensemble and guest Kristin Chenoweth. The livestream's only in-person audience member was notably Academy Award-winning actress Renée Zellweger, with whom Wainwright interacts after the some of the songs. Far from the whole show, the recording of the Capitol Studios concert offers up a 12-track, vinyl-friendly set of highlights from the over-two-hour livestream. It opens with a pair of powerhouse vocal performances on "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "Alone Together" before the contrastingly intimate "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" offers a seductive take on the Fields-McHugh standard. Lively selections like Irving Berlin's "Puttin' on the Ritz" and a zippy version of Jesse Greer and Raymond Klages' "Just You, Just Me" appear beside such languid entries as "How Long Has This Been Going On" and the torch song "The Man That Got Away." Other notable ballads include the Gershwin tune "A Foggy Day" and Garland's signature song, "Over the Rainbow," which closes the album. Before that, however, Chenoweth makes her appearance on the uneven "Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy," which finds Wainwright straying from of the original concert set list, just this once. While not an essential Wainwright release due to its truncated nature and predecessors like Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall and the similarly stripped-down Unfollow the Rules: The Paramour Session, it holds its charms thanks to the elegant, virtuosic accompaniment of the instrumentalists, and the singer's adventurous mastery of the material at this point. Rufus Does Judy at Capitol Studios' release coincides with Garland's birthday centennial (June 10, 2022).
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