When it comes to lesbian musicians, few have had careers as fascinating as Melissa Ferrick. An artist dedicated to the fine art of live performance, Ferrick spends most of the year on the road touring across the country performing in a variety of venues. Ferrick, whose first two albums were released on Atlantic Records at a time when that major label had a gay marketing department, hasn't shied away from same-sex material on the albums, both studio and live, that followed. On what is easily her strongest disc in years, In the Eyes of Strangers (Right On), Ferrick is joined by an all-star cast of queer musicians, including Erin McKeown, Julie Wolf, Tegan Quin, and Natalia Zukerman. But without robust songs, such a lineup would be a waste, and from start to finish listeners can rest easy, because Ferrick delivers her finest set of compositions to date. Renowned for wallowing in heartache like few others, Ferrick opens the disc with “Never Give Up,” one of liveliest love songs she has ever created. In fact, love rules here, as one can hear on “Everything You Get,” “One Year,” “Easy,” and “It's Been a Long Time.” Perhaps the stability of love has allowed Ferrick to do some soul searching, and the result is the brutal honesty of “Closer.”
Ferrick has a reputation for putting her guitars through a blistering workout. Swati (Sharma) sounds as though she is following in Ferrick's footsteps. Swati's debut disc, Small Gods (Blue Hammock), features her ferocious fretwork (listen to “Money,” for example), which sounds as though she borrowed a page or two from the Ferrick playbook. To her credit, though, Swati emerges as her own artist, easily establishing her own identity throughout the album, especially on “Big Bang,” “MF,” and “Stay.” Her raw interpretation of Springsteen's “I'm on Fire” also smolders.
The components that made Life's a Ball, Mara Levi 's debut disc so appealing, are all present on her delightful sophomore effort, What Are You? (maralevi.com). She has not abandoned her sense of playfulness, nor have her songwriting and performance skills been dulled in any way. “The Homo Song,” for instance, combines all of these elements in a song in the form of a letter in which Levi writes to the parents of her “big homo” girlfriend to break the news about her sexuality and their relationship. “Jesse James” sounds like it could be as much about George W. Bush as the titular outlaw, and “Sing to the Moon” is easily Levi's most commercially accessible tune and deserves to be exposed to a wider audience. In “Sweet on You,” Levi effortlessly recreates a long-gone era in country-and-western music, making one wonder what they might make of her at the Grand Ole Opry.
It's almost impossible not to be impressed by Allison Cornell 's résumé. Touring and recording credits include collaborations with Cyndi Lauper, Joe Jackson, Rachael Sage, and many others. Unquestionably the most varied disc in this column, Pretty Colored Lights (allisoncornell.com) even features guest appearances by Lauper (vocals on “I Fall Down”) and Jackson (and his band on the live rendition of Jackson's song “Glamour and Pain”). The album also displays Cornell's musical chops in the best possible light (pretty colored and otherwise). Whether it's the country-influenced “Wild World,” electro dance-inspired “Rock This Country,” or the R&B glow of “I Want Everything,” Cornell shines.
Like the Ferrick and Cornell discs, Liz Stahler 's Stitches in My Sleeve (lizstahler.com) features an exceptional assortment of queer guest musicians, which acts to augment Stahler's terrific tunes. That's Chris Garneau, for instance, on backing vocals and accordion, on the lovely “Weather the Storm” (co-written by Garneau and Patrick Balthrop of Chezwick fame). Outmusic Award winner Adrianne can be heard singing on “Someone You Love.” The presence of these guest musicians is an added bonus to what is already a reliable and penetrating set of songs, the best of which include “Miles Left,” “Jane,” “I Blame Me,” and “Now You're Gone.”
Texas transplant Amy Cook weaves the atmosphere of her adopted state into every song on her album The Sky Observer's Guide (Root House). Cook, whose songs have been heard on everything from The L Word to Veronica Mars, has a Southwestern blues quality to her tunes, including “The Reveler's Goodbye,” “Sunshine,” and “Loma Prieta.” She also ventures into lushly orchestrated acoustic folk (yes, you read that right) on the gorgeous album closer, “Feathers to a Crown.”
In a genre dominated by gay men and aging Broadway divas, out cabaret vocalist Marieann Meringolo has managed to make a name for herself in such a competitive realm. Her new double disc DVD/CD concert set, Live at the Metropolitan Room—Here's to the Ladies: A Salute to Great Ladies in Song (marieannmeringolo.com) pays reverent tribute to Peggy Lee, Dionne Warwick, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Barbra Streisand, and Nancy LaMott, to mention a few. Meringolo's interpretations of songs associated with these women are never anything less than respectful and admirable.
Musical activists Pat Humphries and Sandy O of Emma's Revolution return with Roots, Rock & Revolution (emmas revolution.com), which lives up to its titles with songs that speak out against corporate greed (“Who Lies”), environmental abuses (“Living Planet,” “Silent No Longer”), and political corruption (“Silence & Lies,” “Vote”). The two performers even root around in their own earlier compositions to re-record “Swimming to the Other Side” and “Keep on Moving Forward,” making this an album that is bound to stir up activist tendencies in all who listen.
Next month: As part of his annual Pride music series, Gregg Shapiro recommends new releases by GLBT bands in August. Read his suggestions of music by gay men in the June issue, "After Elton."
Gregg Shapiro is a past recipient of the annual OutMusic award that recognizes contributions by non-musicians in furthering the work of GLBT performers.
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