CD of the Week: Music With a Twist

VARIOUS ARTISTS
"MUSIC WITH A TWIST: REVOLUTIONS"
(Columbia, 2007)

I remember hearing, a year or so ago, that one of the major music juggernauts was going to launch a new record label which would showcase gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender artists, but I had forgotten about it until this past weekend, when I happened upon this CD in a store's compilation section. I hesitated at first, though; most compilations marketed toward the gay community are abnormally fond of the electronica/house/club/dance/trance family of genres, which I've never cared for in the slightest. Bracing myself for the worst, I scanned this CD's barcode into the store's listening post, and put on the headphones. I turned out to be pleasantly surprised by what I heard.

This compilation showcases eleven artists -- most of whom I would presume will soon be releasing their own albums on Sony BMG's Music With a Twist label -- covering a broad variety of styles, from '80s-inspired dance-rock, to contemporary singer-songwriter pop of both the male and female persuasions, to soulful funk-rock, to lesbian hip-hop(!). You won't find any of the bigger-name, established queer artists here, such as Rufus Wainwright, K.D. Lang, or Elton John, but if you're anything like me, you'll find more than one artist on this disc whose music you'll want to check out more extensively.

The beauty of this collection is that it's accessible: you don't have to be part of the queer community to appreciate the genuine talent and musical appeal that's packed into this collection. If you're straight, then hopefully you won't be turned off by the "gay" label (the word appears, but not especially prominently, on the promotional label affixed to the outer wrapper); chances are your auditory adventuresomeness will be rewarded. If you're not-quite-heterosexual, then this album will give you even more to love about gay artists' contributions to popular music -- and, like me, it'll restore your faith that queers know how to crank out more than mundane dance-club droning.