fi. 2002 '
“Holiday
GiJt
Guide
Listen
T he M ichael F einstein A nthology
M ichael Feinstein • ElektraJRhino
he M ichael Feinstein Anthology
is a musical theater queen’s
wet dream: a two-disc collec
tion of 35 o f the noted gay cabaret
singer and pianist’s favorite and most
requested songs, plus eight previously unre
leased recordings.
Feinstein sings like he’s the secret love
child o f Johnny Mathis and Rosemary
Clooney, the sweetness of his tremulous
vibrato balanced with the slyness o f intelli
gent phrasing. T h e collection offers stan
dards such as “S ’wonderful” and “Love Is
Here to Stay,” novelties like “T h e Ugly Bug
Ball” and “Rhode Island Is Famous for You”
as well as obscure gems “I Never Felt Better”
(a charming duet with composer Hugh Mar
tin) and "V iolin” (a dazzling show-stopper
with Liza M innelli).
Feinstein’s enthusiasm for the material
shines through; even when he sings a sad
song he can ’t mask his sheer love of singing.
T h e anthology also boasts an informative
50-page booklet in which he reflects on his
comm itm ent to this music.
— Marc Acito
L et I t R ain
Tracy Chapman •
ElektraJAsylum
r
racy Chapman’s
sixth studio
album moves the
four-time Grammy win
ners previous idealistic view
points into a more down-to-
earth approach. With tracks
running the gamut from
upbeat and hopeful to sad
and almost depressing, she
once again proves to be a
prolific songwriter.
“You’re the O ne” was selected as the first
single release for good reason. It cooks along
with beautiful, clever lyrics and rhymes. T he
eerie and mysterious “In the Dark” follows,
mesmerizing the listener directly into
“Almost,” a song that builds up hope for love
and happiness, then brings you back to the
prospect that you may never get what you
need. “Say Hallelujah” is one of the album’s
best, with rhythm-pounding bass rooted in
gospel blues.
The timbre of Chapman’s voice has always
been rare and addictive, and on Let It Rain she
explores new textures of vocal depth, solidly
evidenced in the work’s last song, “Goodbye.”
Each and every cut on this album is a special
elixir, spirit medicine for the soul.
—Juli Roxx
S ex & M ayhem :
P art O ne
Donald Currie •
Self-released
n the tradition of
racy camp story
tellers like Rae Bour
bon and Dwight Fiske
comes Donald Currie. Sex & Mayhem (avail
able at www.cdbaby.com) is a witty spoken-
word stroll through his coming out in the mid-
1960s, subsequent coming-of-age and then just
plain coming.
Currie’s verbal gymnastics work the raw
material of a queer life into vividly exaggerated
and often funny stories, punctuated with festive
music and sexy groans. He takes us from “the
first Big Bang of puberty” through the sultry
chaos of San Francisco gay life “chock-a-block
with the hubbub of rutting buddies contorting
themselves into rococo convolutions” and fur
ther into True Love. Along the way he sketch
es a memorable cast of characters: hunky
teachers, drama queens, various “big old fags”
and, most captivating, Currie himself.
— Gary Morris
T he K insey S icks :
S icks in the C ity
The Kinsey Sicks •
Self-released
ranny a cappel-
r ran
isn’t exactly
I 1 la”
a h household
term, but the Kinsey Sicks could make it so, at
least in more stylish households. This fabulous
group known as “America’s Favorite Dragapel-
la Beautyshop Quartet” consists of Trixie,
Winnie, Rachel and Trampolina. Sicks in the
City showcases both their sharp satirical sense
and considerable harmonizing talents. These
queens can sing!
T he C D features queer-inflected sendups
o f classic tunes (being gay, they’re sadly
“Locked Out of the Chapel of Love”) and
hilariously dead-on originals (“Cruise People
Uglier Than You”). Topics include the evils
n
o f President Bush, the joys o f Ikea (to the
tune of West Side Story’s “Maria”), even The
Poseidon A dventure. T h e vocalese is so good
here that it’s possible to appreciate the music
alone, but queers and sensible straights will
enjoy the lyrical brilliance, too. Live perfor
mances of more than half the 18 tunes add
to the fun.
—G M
D ancing Q ueens
Various Artists •
Medalist
fre the “queens”
in the title of
this 26-track,
lo-CD set the singers
(Gloria Gaynor, RuPaul,
Judy Garland, Boy George) or the fans of diva
music— the boyz and girlz gyrating on the
dance floor or listening with a tear in the eye
on a lonely Saturday night?
No matter. A tasty melange of disco
anthems (the inescapable “I Will Survive” and
“I Love the Nightlife”), ’80s dance tunes
(“Karma Chameleon”) and nostalgia (“Some
where Over the Rainbow”), there’s something
here for queens of all sexes and moods.
There are surprises, too: Lesley Gore’s
Top 40 dyke manifesto “You Don’t Own Me,”
Eartha K itts hyperdramatic “Where Is My
Man” (when she says, “I work my fingers to the
bone,” you can practically see the fingers and
the bone) and Cyndi Lauper’s still-thrilling riot
grrl classic “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” So
does this CD!
- G M JF !
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