Pedigree is indeed helpful on the road to success. Wainwright's grandfather was a founding editor of Life Magazine and his father is 70's singer- songwriter Loudon Wainwright II. How could you fail, I ask? Rufus is a bar- room romantic who belts out loungey, operatic, cabaret-like ballads with adept, Beatle-esque arrangements. The songs are so familiar you'll swear you've heard most of them before. Piano, classical string arrangements, somber horns, delicate brush percussion...this is the sort of high-brow music you want to provide at your annual debutante ball. (Dreamworks Records, 100 Universal Plaza, Bungalow 477, Universal City, CA 91608)