Not everyone wants, or can get, a major label record deal. Fortunately, going the indie route affords everyone the opportunity to have their music heard by potential fans.
After releasing albums on the Arista and Velvel labels, as well as Indigo Girl Amy Ray's Daemon Records, lesbian singer/songwriter Michelle Malone found a home on her own indie SBS Records. Her aptly titled new album, "Southern Comfort" (SBS), is where Southern rock and country music intersect, with the title track about homesickness being a perfect example.
"I Choke on My Words" is a stunner and deserves to be a hit for Malone (or anyone wise enough to cover it). Also noteworthy are "I Want to Be in That Picture," "Like Mother Like Daughter," "One Track Mind," and "Wine and Regret." www.michellemalone.com
Since the mid-2010s, gay singer/songwriter Jim Andralis has been making consistently powerful and memorable music. Andralis' firm belief in "the power of love and the power of music" has sustained him and his fans over the course of five remarkable albums, including his latest, "Ghosts," available on spooky, cloudy grey vinyl.
Andralis populates the album with fittingly haunting songs such as the devastating "5 Minutes," about the love and loss of a dog; "You," about his friend the celebrated late singer and vocal coach Barbara Maier Gustern; "Brookly," Andralis' response to Hugh Ryan's book, "When Brooklyn Was Queer;" and "Run Hit Cry," about finding a way through hard times, which is bolstered by Matt Colburn on trumpet. Andralis' inclusion cover of Annie Lennox's "Love Song for a Vampire" is a perfect fit in this setting. www.jimandralismusic.com
"Dooda" is the new album by Durham via New York City queer singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist (including Omnichord!) Matty Frank. Frank's musical style comes across as a combination of Rufus Wainwright and Sufjan Stevens' theatricality and inventiveness ("Moonflower" and "Fabulist"), Billie Eilish experimentation ("Moth"), contemporary country rock ("Wasted"), and even a touch of Hedwig ("Circle of Sand"). Even with all those audible influences, Frank has succeeded in creating an original and captivating album that benefits from repeated spins. www.mattyfrank.bandcamp.com
Queer singer/songwriter Mike Maimone is one of those prolific musicians whose talent can't be confined to one space. As a solo artist, with a voice that recalls young Tom Waits (and piano skills to match), he's as comfortable making pop music as he is working the country croon (as he is currently doing in Nashville).
As the lead vocalist of Mutts, during the 2010s, he demonstrated that he could work well with others over the course of a few albums. To commemorate the eleventh (!) anniversary of Mutts' timeless album "Object Permanence," it's being rereleased in a newly remixed version as "Object Permanence XI" (8Eat8). In addition to the gorgeous back-to-back numbers "Prizefighter" (which deserves to be a hit) and "Out of Tune," Mutts tear things up on "No Loot," "Pickpocket," and "No Loot." www.muttsmusic.com
It's always fascinating to see what becomes of the queens in their post-"Drag Race" period. Genderfluid Pandora Boxx (who made quite an impression on viewers with her Carol Channing impression) has returned to "RuPaul's Drag Race" a few times over the years and performed at numerous live shows and theatrical events.
For their debut album "Boxx," they wrote all the songs and even included one in which they could wheel out the Channing impression ("Raspberries"). Of the ten tracks, including the "Gay" (with its "Okay to be gay" message), seven are straightforward club bangers. Boxx doesn't possess an especially powerful singing voice, and the closing track "Scurvy" should be avoided like, well, scurvy. Nevertheless, it sounds like they're having fun, and there's nothing wrong with that. www.pandoraboxx.com
Queer Canadian folk/roots singer/songwriter Jeffery Straker returns with his ninth studio album "Great Big Sky." Anyone who doubted that Canadians could turn up the torch and twang as well as the folks in Nashville or Austin were proven wrong by Shania Twain and kd lang. Straker shares Twain's ability to prove that there are no borders when it comes to country tunes.
Standout numbers include "Better Than What We Found," "More Than Two by Fours and Timber," the country swing of "Brand New Light," and the beautiful "Dandelions." www.jeffstraker.com
Led by queer frontwoman Jen Dot and featuring trans musician Jesse Fevvers, Chicago quintet Beastii makes rip-roaring dance punk on its new album "Follower" At just over two minutes in length, the second track "The Limit" exemplifies the spirit (and blistering brevity) of early classic punk. "Spilt Milk" and "Butch Beach" conjure images of surfers riding the waves of Lake Michigan, while "Evil Eye" and "Trusted Mystik" represent darkwave at its eeriest. www.beastie.bandcamp.com
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