LATE NIGHT...MELANIE C

 I always love the Spice Girls, even better with solo works. 

Melanie C's newest from a couple months ago.

I don't hate it.

LATE NIGHT...SAMARA JOY

Have you heard of her? If you haven't, Samara Joy is simply sublime. She is the current mood around here lately.

LATE NIGHT...LEDISI

Ledisi is in the top tier of postmillennial singers with a highly acclaimed catalog of music that combines traditional R&B and jazz with modern finesse. This New Orleans native has been a successful independent artist for years now and has a couple of well-regarded albums under her belt. One of her latest songs that has caught my attention, and a timely title. This is from her upcoming" For Dinah" album... her deeply close tribute to the great Dinah Washington.

LATE NIGHT...CAM

Camaron Marvel Ochs, who is known professionally as just Cam, is a country music singer and songwriter first. She began her career as a songwriter and considered a creative genius and has composed material for numerous artists including Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus, Sam Smith and Beyonce, who's album, Cowboy Carter won Cam a Grammy for Album of the Year. I have adored Cam for some time, and her peaceful vibe, when I need a nice quite evening to unwind. Her music I'd say is sweet, genuine and heartfelt, but yet some of her songs have had a political message. Her music is contemporary country, country pop with a touch of folk. She has since had two of her own albums.

Of course, I was tickled to see her pop up on Austin City Limits.

LATE NIGHT...MOLLY AND KETCH

My music taste is all over the place, cards on the table...I actually enjoy some bluegrass and folk from time to time. These two Grammy winners Molly Tuttle and Ketch Secor did a rare set together with Molly's band Golden Highway recorded live at the Analog. Great songs and some very cutting-edge issues and some slings at politicians. I especially love Downhome Dispensary at the 17:58 mark and Louder Than Guns at the 29:01 mark. A duo with great energy, liveliness and great messages.

LATE NIGHT...SHEILA E

I have always enjoyed Sheila E. who is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for her extremely talented drumming and percussion skills, and was a former protege of Prince, playing drums in his band before launching a solo career. Not only was her song Sex Cymbol a favorite, but so was The Glamorous Life. My one regret when doing drag was, I wanted to perform the song like the video, with two drag kings playing the instruments and myself playing the drums while still dancing and lip synching. And I planned to actually learn the drums just enough to make it believable enough to do the act. I thought to do the act playing the drums, lip synching and in drag would have been a phenomenal act. Heavens knows I studied the moves to a tee.

LATE NIGHT...JUANES

When I first heard of Juanes, it was way back when MTV was relevant, with an excellent show Unplugged. It's where I first heard Juan Esteban Aristizabal Vasquez, or simply know as Juanes. Love his music, a fusion of many genres. Juanes hails from Colombia, who was a member of a rock band before going solo and going on to win over 26 Latin Grammy Awards. What a treat to see him performing on last night's Austin City Limits as part of their 50th anniversary series with a repertoire of his work spanning back years. I was having a nice moment...maybe even dancing.

LATE NIGHT...LIZA MINNELLI

Nothing like some late-night cabaret and class.

LATE NIGHT...KACEY MUSGRAVES

Some days you need to step back and listen to some beautiful music, beautiful lyrics, and calming sound, and for me Kacey Musgraves always fits that bill. I have adored her since 2018.  Her music and singing are good for my soul. I loved her even more when she refused to bend the knee for Nashville, Tenn record label executives, coupled with her massive success, proves she is Nashville's, big machines worst nightmare. She is yet another female artist who managed to find widespread success in an industry that tried numerous times to muzzle her, with her Titled album and song , Same Trailor Different Park and Follow Your Arrow...both of which found controversy, for LGBT issues, homosexual tones and recreational marijuana. Follow you Arrow is such an inspirational song, the south needs to wake up. But that year at the Grammy's her amazing album was even withdrawn for Album of the Year, (even though other music critics said it was amazing and very well written), and found her blacklisted from country radio...but screw them, she has found her career and a successful one, with seven grammy wins in addition to seven CMA wins prior to all this, and wide acclaim since. Two of these clips are from her recent stunning set on Austin City Limits.

LATE NIGHT...LISE DAVIDSEN

Ever since Lise Davidsen made her highly anticipated debut with the Metropolitain Opera as Lisa in Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades back in 2019, she was described as "the most superhuman of singing Scandinavians."  If seems she was equipped with both silver-bright top notes and warmly expressive, mezzo-like lower range...but no doubt she had the elemental gift of being able to fill the gigantic Met auditorium with rich blazing tone. I loved her ever since. Here she is with the Norwegian National Opera Children's Choir and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, singing what may be the most beautiful listening of Silent Night. 

LATE NIGHT...NO MERCY

This group and their song, Where Do You Go... has to be one of the groups and songs that was indicative of it's decade...the 90's! I loved me some No Mercy...and when the beat hit, you can bet my ass was out on the dancefloor...and still will be! No Mercy was Bronx born Marty Cintron and and twin brothers Ariel and Gabriel Herandez, who hailed from Miami. They may have also started my love of my love of Latina mens!!!

LATE NIGHT...RODRIGO Y GABRIELA

Something of a different flavor this late night. Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero, the dueling-acoustic-guitar duo known as simply, Rodrigo y Gabriela, have been through changes. From taking guitar lessons together in Mexico City to busking in Dublin to selling out venues worldwide, without a lead vocalist or the trapping of being commercialized into a big-name music act, the musicians' rise to fame has been utterly unconventional. Their bare-bones, fast-fingered style has sparked nine albums and in 2020 their first ever Grammy win...and still, they keep their act small and to smaller venues. I've loved their music for some time, and recently caught them with the Austin Symphony on the latest Austin City Limits. Very cool two different music styles come together and sound amazing.

Here's a small snippet from Austin City Limits.

LATE NIGHT-COBRAH

You know me, I like the obscure shit. Stockholm artist Cobrah grew up in Gothenburg Sweden's second city and home to a thriving metal scene. Immersing herself in metal each weekend gave her something to do when she was, in her words, way too young to party, with way too many hormones to stay inside. It was in Stockholm that the prodigious ex-flautist discovered the fetish club scene which has massively resonated with her and would go on the shape her creatively. It's here amongst the whips, chains and tentacles that you'll find Cobrah who's aptly titled "lesbian queen of the Swedish fetish scene. And she is going to be one to watch creatively when it comes to videos...with her newest single Suck.

MIDWEEK INTERLUDE

It may not be the weekend, but it's important to remember during Pride season to stop and shake dat ass! Who better then Crystal Waters with some "Come On Down". This is a fun little ditty I did a drag number to years back. I'd say it caught the crowd off guard but was a huge hit. Does anyone know the tune?

Happy Pride Month!!!

LATE NIGHT-PAVEMENT

I was a huge fan of the band Pavement, a indie rock band that was formed back in 1989. I really enjoy when groups stay small and avoid press and big labels. Pavement recorded five albums, and yet has had a decades long career with a huge underground following, which this year still finds them touring. To this day they are a successful indie rock band and are still remained signed with independent labels, which I feel preserves the bands feel and talent, and lets them be themselves. They have often been described as one of the most influential bands to emerge from the underground in the 90's, and one of the best bands of the 1990's and still hold on to their cult following. I was delighted to catch them last night on Austin City Limits. They might be older, but still got it. 

LATE NIGHT-BRIANNA

Kids, meet Romanian singer/songwriter, Bianca Nits or Brianna as she is simply known. She's been singing and under contract since she was 14, but it was in 2019 with her song Lost in Istanbul that caught my attention. I had forgotten how much I loved the song until recently. The song swept the charts from Poland, Russia, Germany, Turkey, Romania, Greece and many other countries, but alas, never made a dent here in the US. She is still going strong with many collations with Thrace Music in her home country.

LATE NIGHT-MABEL

I was in a Mabel mood today. 

Adore her and her energy.  I never seem to like anyone mainstream; I swear. Mabel is a Spanish born, Swedish singer and songwriter and came into her own back in 2017, but it was her hit in 2022 Let Them Know, that really grabbed me. I just love the vibe and energy and "tude" of the song. I like it so much; I'm trying the choro for doing the song for one of the Woods drag shows next summer. A fun fact about Mabel, her parents are none other than English music producer Carmeron McVey and Swedish singer, Neneh Cherry, who in 89 is solely remembered for her huge hit, Buffalo Stance. Both her parents were supportive of her expressing herself through music and writing a journal.

Go ahead girls, hit play!

LATE NIGHT-TANYA LOUISE

I hadn't heard this song in an age, not since I slinked across a stage lip-syncing for a drag show I did. I heard it come on a dance and house station coming home last week and couldn't believe it. I think I heard it out twice. Tanya Louise was performer in funk house and dance songs, and for some reason was huge in Italian dance clubs. But her song, thankfully for me was right up the Mistress's style.

LATE NIGHT-AGNES

Agnes Emilia Carlsson who is known simply by Agnes, is a Swedish recording artist who rose to fame in her county on the Swed version of Idol way back in 2005 and has been going pretty steady since, with five studio albums, one compilation and 19 singles. But her latest release in 2021, Magic Still Exists has been excellent with a whole new vibe and style, and I'm loving it. 24 Hours kicked it off, and this song gives me a mix of two of my all-times favorites. 24 hours is a fantastic collision of Donna Summer and Goldfrapp. I hope Agnes continues to bring such audio delights.

AN INTERTUDE

I've been in a great music kick lately. This song, is one of my favorite male vocalists, Tom Grennan, I wanted to feature it in this past Sunday's Pride Party Post, but I think it's a stand-alone. Tom is an English singer-songwriter from Bedford and is based in London but originally from Ireland with his family. Tom is not my usual fare of hunk either, but there is something that gets me hot and bothered about him, and I also love his sense of fashion. Here's a collaboration he did with Calvin Harris. One of my favorites