I read PlanetOut's RockOut site just before Christmas. One of their gift ideas was to buy your sweetie an iPod and rip music by queer artists on it. John didn't want an iPod (he hates headphones), but I grabbed CDs by six different queer artists. All were fun, but two were real winners...
PlanetOut's site lets you download samples of songs from their featured artists. Based on my quick survey I hit Amazon.com and CDBaby for the ones I particularly liked.
John was tickled by two of the recordings, but we were both blown away by Rufus Wainwright's Want One and Want Two. If you're interested in another favorite, check out Girlyman on PlanetOut or the band's website.
I'd listened to most of the recordings when I put Rufus Wainwright's Want One on my player. Imagine my surprise when a soulful ballad turned into Ravel's Bolero about half-way through! When John listened to it, he said: "It's a great postmodern quote. It's not just Bolero, but it's also a reference to Bo Derek's jaunt along the beach in 10 while Bolero plays in the background." The entire album unfolds with atmospheric orchestration, superb keyboard work (mostly by Wainwright), and astonishing queer poetry. Betraying an obvious classical training, Wainwright's arrangements frequently morph into something musically much more complex than appears when the song begins. Want Two is a continuation of the first recording, and includes a bonus DVD of one of Rufus's live performances.
I'm hard pressed to identify favorite tracks as both recordings have landed on my frequently played piles. For poetry, though, my favorites are My phone's on vibrate for you (favorite line: Pinocchio's now a boy who wants to turn / Back into a toy); Beautiful child (And when they finally fall / Those wailing walls and burdened crosses / God's twilights and all / How I'll feel like a beautiful child); and Gay Messiah.
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