Dance, Dance Evolution

Clockwise: Village People, RuPaul, Sir Ari Gold, and Brian Kent.

For my inspiration today, I decided to take a look at the last four decades, and pick a song I really loved to show an evolution of dance through the years. I have chosen songs that are in my iTunes collection. The artists are also very talented members of the LGBT community. There was a wealth of music from which to choose, so it wasn't the easiest post to put together, but it was very fun. I got to listen to many songs not posted here, which made me very happy. I will start with the 1980s, the first decade I took on. There was a wealth of great music, with the great Sylvester, Bronski Beat, Culture Club, and many others I remember calling me to the dance floor. But I finally settled on a song that was released in 1980, from a group that bridged the 1970s and the 1980s. That group was the Village People, icons of the disco era. When Victor Willis, Felipe Rose, Alex Briley, Glenn Hughes, David Hodo, and Randy Jones got together to sing, little could hold them back. As the cop, the Indian, the soldier, the leatherman, the construction worker, and the cowboy thrilled audiences with classic hits like "Y.M.C.A.", "Macho Man" "In The Navy" and others. In 198O, they released the title cut from a new album, as well as a movie by the same name. "Can't Stop the Music" was written by Jacques Morali, the mastermind behind the group. But once the boys got hold of it, it was totally theirs! And, before I forget, happy birthday, Randy 'Cowboy' Jones! You can see when you watch the music video for the Village People singing "Can't Stop the Music".

Now I will move on to the next decade, the 1990s. This was another decade with a ton of music I got to listen to, before I made a the tough decision. But I finally decided to go with song from 1992 by the drag queen who continues to set the standard for all, RuPaul. "Supermodel (You Better Work)" was written by RuPaul, Jimmy Harry, and Larry Tee. The song went to #45 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #! on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The music video also took MTV (when it used to play music) by storm, going into regular play on the rotation. While Nirvana and Pearl Jam were ruling the airwaves, one very special drag queen stepped up to be heard. Please enjoy RuPaul singing "Supermodel (You Better Work)".

The next decade once again plunged me into a deep pool of wonderful music, including some of my favorite artists. What tipped the scales for me was the absolute positive message of this song. So I pikced the 2007 release by the handsome Brian Kent, "Breathe Life". It is the title cut off a wonderful album, and a glorious music video, too. The driving beat disguises the love and good offered by the song for only a few seconds. I swear, just playing this song makes my day a little brighter. I hope you feel the same way when you watch the music video for "Breathe Life".

And while my final pick has only a pool of songs that is far short of a decade, I still had more than enough songs to listen to. I had several favorites, but decided to go with Sir Ari Golds latest single and video, featuring "Play My F**kn' Record". The song was first heard off his wonderful album, 'Between the Spirit & the Flesh', Gold worked with filmmaker Francis Legge, and the result was both 2D and 3D version, with include cameo appearances by Michael Musto, Michael Lucas, Peppermint, Meital as Gaga, Jamie Drake, Manilla Luzon, Dwayne Milan, Lovari, Eddy Barrena, MEG, Antonio Minopoli, Sherry Vine & Ari's Mom! Enjoy watching "Play My F**kn' Record"!

Have a great weekend!

More Great Singles from 2011

Clockwise: David Geftakys, Angelo, Cassidy Haley, Darryl Stephens, and Brian Kent.

This afternoon, I will be talking about another group of talented musicians who put out fantastic singles in 2011. It was such a great year for music, and these singles are shining examples of that. These might not be songs you are hearing on Pop radio, but if I were hearing them there, I might listen to the radio more often.

I first heard of David Geftakys when David Raleigh told me I should check out his video. I always will follow the advice of musicians, for they rarely steer me wrong. Well, I hit play on YouTube, I was pretty much a goner. That first song was his single this year, Games We Play. It has so much charm, and such a great melody line, I think it is a total winner. I also downloaded a previous release, Lines In My Hand, which I also love.



You can purchase Games We Play on iTunes and Amazon.

Funny enough, I first discovered Angelo and his music when I found his "It Get's Better" video on YouTube. Hey, here is a good-looking, out and proud man, so being the curious sort, I sought out his music, and found that it was quite good! I love his most recent single, Hands Down, and I think if you give it a listen, you would love it too.



You can purchase Hands Down on iTunes and Amazon.

I discovered the music of Brian Kent through Rich Overton of RJO Artists, who has represented so many talented people, I pay attention when he is involved. Brian has put out some great music in the last few years, like Breathe Life. This year, he had a new single, and it was all kinds of fun! Watch the video directed by Mike Ruiz for Su-Su-Su-Superstar, the latest from Kent.



You can purchase Su-Su-Su-Superstar on iTunes and Amazon.

There was a bit of buzz circulating around about the music of Cassidy Haley when Adam Lambert was on American Idol. I decided to check it out, and discovered that I really love Haley's music. He has a great blend of Rock and Pop, showing off the darker side of soul. Did I forget to mention he is also gorgeous and gay? Well, he is. You can make the call for yourself when you watch his video for This Time, released earlier this year. The song is from his 2010 album, The Fool.



You can purchase This Time on iTunes and Amazon.

I first became familiar with Darryl Stephens when he played the lead in the television series and subsequent movie, Noah's Arc. I loved the show, and was also happy to see him get other work in movies, for he is quite talented. Well, sometime this year he mentioned he was about to release a song he had written, and my interest was piqued. When Envious Moon came out, I bought it, and was quite impressed, not only for his writing skills, but his singing, too. Seems Darryl has talent in many different areas, and I hope we get to see/hear his musical bent a bit more. Here is the video for Envious Moon.



You can purchase Envious Moon on iTunes.

Brian Kent • Su-Su-Superstar Release

Award winning recording artist Brian Kent has released his latest single, Su-Su-Superstar, now available on iTunes. The song celebrates what is unique and special about us all, and what makes life amazing. You can purchase it several different ways, as you can buy any single/remix you'd like, as well as Part 1, a 4-track collection featuring the radio edits, and Part 2, an 8-track remix collection with some great remixes from the US and the UK. Perfect for the club, the track is also a great addition to your iPod, for your work-out routine, your run, or to the soundtrack of your busy day. When asked about the release, Brian said, "The new single celebrates the superstar in each and every one of us. I'm very excited for everyone to hear it."

There is also a video in the works featuring the handsome singer, directed by the sexy celebrity photographer, Mike Ruiz. The video is choreographed by Broadway's James Harkness and includes special appearances by The A-List's Mike Ruiz and Rodiney Santiago, Project Runway's Joshua McKinley and other celebrities such as Acid Betty, Sherry Vine and LOGO's Bianca Del Rio. You can be sure once it is completed and released, it will be featured on this blog. For more on the out and proud singer, check out his official website here.

Dancing with Brian Kent

Big, handsome and ready to perform, what is not to love about Brian Kent? He was brought to my attention by Rich Overton, who has a stable full of talented and good-looking singers under the banner of RJO Artists. Rich recently tweeted about the latest video, so I had to click fast to check it out. Man, am I glad I did. So I got to see the video for I'll Find A Way, and it made my day instantly better. It started off with a montage of faces over a swell of music, which soon kicks into a driving dance beat. In no time you discover the video is not just a bunch of pretty people dancing, but instead about the labels society places on people. What a wonderful message, great song, and fantastic video!



If you loved that song as much as I did, you can find it on iTunes here. He is finishing up work on his soon-to-be released second album, which I really look forward to hearing. This did lead me to some investigation, and I found his debut album, Breathe Life, released in 2007. Filled with great high-energy dance music, this album would be perfect work-out material - if I ever got off my ass to work out, of course. Take, for example, Whatcha Doin' To Me. Bold and strong, the song is backed with a gorgeous video.



The title cut might be my favorite off the album. A beautiful message of love with a great beat, Breathe Life is filled with both energy and emotion. Kent takes it to the next level with his fantastic vocals.



Breathe Life and the next clip were both directed by Joerg Fockele, who had also directed episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. I'm Not Crazy was Kent's first video, and it was a great beginning.



You can purchase Breathe Life on iTunes here. Tracks on the album have hit the Billboard Dance Tracks chart and hit #1 on Sirius Satellite Radio's Hot 20 chart. The videos spent time on LOGO's Click List Top 10, and by year's end, was named one of LOGO's Top 10 Artists of the Year. For more about Brian Kent, check out his official website here. Or if you run into him, tell him