Development
Wainwright's goal was to make a pop record to "show that can get up from behind the piano and that actually pretty compatible with other people of age out there". He teamed up with producer Pierre Marchand, a family friend that often worked with Wainwright's mother and aunt (Kate and Anna McGarrigle), and who had helped him record several demo tapes prior to being signed to DreamWorks. Musicians Melissa Auf der Maur and Teddy Thompson also appear on the album, as does Wainwright's sister Martha Wainwright. Several tracks were produced by Greg Wells, Alex Gifford, Ethan Johns, and Damian LeGassick. The album took a year and a half to record – half the time it took him to record his first album.
According to Wainwright, Poses grew thematically out of its title track, which was inspired by his residency at New York City's infamous Chelsea Hotel. Referring to his stay there, he recalled: "I went to all these parties and met all these people and found that, basically, it's like a big revolving door. I thought if I could look at it as a series of poses and extract from it what I needed for my songs, then I would survive." Describing his writing process, Wainwright stated he typically comes up with a melody line and starts singing phonetically, from which words often appear. To promote the album prior to its release, Wainwright embarked on a tour throughout the United States and Canada.
Read more about this topic: Poses (album)
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