Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (June 27, 2008)

FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE!
Since I'm hip deep in CD's, I figured it was time to review at least a few of the new ones to have landed on my doorstep of late.

Jay Brannan might be best known for his willingness to get naked in John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus, but if anything this multi-talented young man should be better known for getting emotionally naked on his new CD goddamned.

Male singers usually aren't my cup of tea, nor is folk music, but Brannan's sweet-timbered voice completely won me over as did his songs about gay love and angst. And how can you not love lyrics such as "American Idol get the hell off of my TV"? Other highlights include "A Death Waltz", "Housewife", and "Can't Have it All". Give this one a solid A.

When it comes to music, I freely cop to being a child of the 80s and all that implies about my musical taste (see Men With Hats). But along with all that dross (again, Men With Hats) there was gold in that decade including the incomparable Cyndi Lauper. I fully admit she's had her misfires over the past twenty years, but I'm happy to say that with her latest album Bring Ya to the Brink, Cyndi is about as good as she's ever been.

Highlights include "High and Mighty", "Into the Nightlife" and "Same Ol' Story" which includes lyrics perfectly describing how fed up with it all we can get with life. As if there wasn't already enough reason for every gay boy to check out Cyndi's "True Colors" tour, here is yet another one. Bring Ya to the Brink also rates an A.

Speaking of the 80s and all that was good and bad about it, George Michael perfectly personfies the ups and downs. From the sublime — "Father Figure", "Faith" — to the insanely danceable — "I Want Your Sex" — to the ridiculous and pretentious — "Careless Whisper", "Waiting for that Day" — Michael has done it all and almost all of it can be found in his latest, Twentyfive released to coincide with his 25th anniversary as a musician.

If you're a George Michael fan (and I am; I loved his recent appearances this year on ABC's Eli Stone) there is much to love here and if you're looking to update your 80s collection, it's a worthy investment. Which isn't to say there aren't a couple of misfires including the remake of "Heal the Pain" with Paul McCartney which I found distracting with two such distinctive voices. If you're a Michael fan, the CD rates a B+.

Last summer we interviewed boyfriends Kevin Hardy and Matt Hermstad who make up SlowMoErotic. The unapologetically gay duo recently released their new album The Holla!caust. The fellows describe their music as having catchy choruses and edgy lyrics and that is definitely the case as quite a few of the lyrics aren't printable here.

But the rough language isn't just for shock; they often drive home a pertinent point such as with "Draw the Line" which is about a fellow willing to do just about anything sexual except actually making love. Ouch! While listening I found myself frequently thinking I was listening to the soundtrack of a musical about a young gay man navigating the ups and down of life. I'm told it wasn't written as such, but that the guys just might do something with the idea. I give this one a B+.

No matter how many times I listened to The Dresden Dolls latest, No, Virginia, it just didn't stick. This is a compilation of B-sides and other odds and ends and it feels like it. Each time I tried to listen, somewhere in the middle of "Dear Jenny", the first track, I would zone out and suddenly the CD was half over.

Let me say right off the bat, I simply don't particularly care for Amanda Palmer's voice and I felt that too many of the songs dragged on and sounded the same. Frankly, the only one that got my attention was the remake of the Psychedelic Furs' "Pretty in Pink". It always comes back to the 80s with me, doesn't it? This rates a C-.

Next page! A book by a real gay man, a book about a real gay man, and a book about a fictional gay kid!