I didn't really know of Rufus Wainwright til my younger brother was playing his Shrek 1 soundtrack and "Hallelujah" came on. I was blown away by the voice. (And the little bastard lost the CD so now I'm going to have to go buy that stupid soundtrack for that one song!
)
Rufus is a very gifted songwriter, and I think his voice is amazing. I've only got his more recent CD, Want One, and it is incredible. It's too bad he doesn't get more exposure, because I think a lot of people would really like his music.