Rufus Wainwright has recorded plenty of ambitious, idiosyncratically personal, not-always-accessible albums, but every so often he goes full pop, releasing an eclectic, catchy record designed to be embraced. Out Of The Game is one of the latter, joining Poses and Release The Stars as the Wainwright album most likely to disarm listeners less inclined to appreciate his occasional forays into the operatic, theatrical, or maudlin. Working with power producer Mark Ronson—who knows how to handle strong vocalists from his time shaping Amy Winehouse—Wainwright varies his approach from track to track on Out Of The Game, but generally works in a more laid-back singer-songwriter mode than he ever has before. Songs like the twangy, gospel-tinged “Jericho” and the murmuring acoustic ballad “Sometimes You Need” are oddly reminiscent of Ryan Adams, or of Wainwright’s own father, Loudon. Ronson brings in a few elements of R&B and club music, but mostly he just creates a suitably lively setting for Wainwright’s ’70s style roots-pop.