Divas vs. Queers

What happens when queer musicians dare to cover songs made famous by divas?

Adele. The Londoner has six Grammys and an Oscar (for the Bond theme "Skyfall"). Her sophomore album, 21, broke the record for the longest run at number 1 by a female artist in Billboard chart history -- she topped Whitney Houston's The Bodyguard soundtrack from 1992. She breaks records, she's popular, she's critically-acclaimed and she doesn't give a fuck what you think about her weight. Quite a diverse assortment of artists have publicly admired her, too -- from Madonna, Patti LaBelle and Stevie Nicks (A duet, please!) to Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl and Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash.  

Adele

There's an argument to be made that the singer's biggest hit, "Someone Like You," is a future standard. It's just piano, voice and perfectly modulated woefulness. If you're not one of the half a billion people who've already watched the video on YouTube, have a look...

"Someone Like You" is the kind of song that's destined to be covered. It will be over-orchestrated and over-sung for decades to come. Occasionally someone will get it right, like Paul Middleton, a cubby ginger Londoner who channels the melancholy with restraint and dances with his own stoicism. It's a remarkably good fit for this newcomer. Have a look/listen...

Find out more about Paul on his website. Check out his YouTube page. His music is available on his website, iTunes and CD Baby. And here are a few photos of handsome Mr. Middleton...

Paul Middleton (photo via Facebook)

Divas vs. Queers

What happens when queer musicians dare to cover songs made famous by divas?

If you're not familiar with the infectious, effervescent music of '70s Swedish supergroup ABBA, then I'm going to assume you just arrived here from another planet. Welcome, visitor! ABBA consisted of two men and two women -- Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha and Frida -- but the ladies contributed lead vocals to almost every one of their hits.

Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad & Agnetha Faltskog

My favorite ABBA song is "S.O.S." I'm not alone in my admiration: Pete Townsend, The Who guitarist, has said it's one of the best pop songs ever written, and John Lennon declared it a favorite, too. The arrangement is pure genius, beginning with a subdued D-minor key, shifting tempo and easing into major key electric rock. There's the right amount of emotional nuance in Agnetha's lead vocal; Frida's voice augments the chorus perfectly. ABBA was also at the forefront of the music video revolution. Watch their charming, low-budget little masterpiece...

Now, The Young Professionals, a popular Israeli electro pop band fronted by Johnny Goldstein and Ivri Lider, have reimagined "S.O.S." in an energetically alternative way.

The Young Professionals: Ivri Lider (left) & Johnny Goldstein

The assertive guitar work and drumming neatly amplifies the original's rock inclinations. Lider's vocal work is free of histrionics, but there's a hint of vulnerability around the edges. Watch and listen...

You can find this version of "S.O.S." on their latest -- and excellent -- album, Remixes & Covers.

For the record, the absolute worst version of "S.O.S" can be found in the film version of Mamma Mia. It's staged as a kind of clunky duet between Meryl Streep, who can sing, and Pierce Brosnan, who cannot. Brosnan's performance of the song is not simply lamentable, it's abominable and excruciating. It is, in fact, one of the worst things ever. Let me help you understand how bad it is:

The Top 5 Worst Things Ever, ranked...

1. The Holocaust

2. What we did to Native Americans and African Americans

3. Bubonic Plague -- "The Black Death" of the 14th Century

4. 9/11

5. Pierce Brosnan mangling "S.O.S." in the film version of Mamma Mia

Divas vs. Queers

What happens when openly gay singers dare to cover songs made famous by divas?

The Song: "Wrecking Ball"

It was the second single released from Miley Cyrus' fourth studio album, Bangerz (2013). It peaked at number one in nearly a dozen countries. Okay, go ahead and argue that Ms. Cyrus, all of 21 when she recorded it, does not qualify as a diva. All I can tell you is that she appears to be following the modern diva template provided by Madonna (and feebly adopted by the likes of Britney Spears). Cyrus has made a controversial music video (see below), done some crazy look-at-me-look-at-me shit on awards shows and routinely changes her look. She seems determined to make you forget she was ever Hannah Montana, the titular character of her successful Disney Channel series. Sounds like a diva to me.

It took five (five!) people to write "Wrecking Ball" -- Ms. Cyrus was not one of them -- and it received mixed reviews, even backhanded praise. PopMatters called it "the kind of broad mainstream song that shows you how to properly build up to a chorus before hitting us over the head with it." The Los Angeles Times suggested that the track proved she "isn't just a twerk-bot programmed to titillate," but added, "Cyrus' singing throbs with what feels like an embarrassment of emotion." I'm pretty sure that's not a compliment.

And then there's the video. Miley emotes a lot, swings a sledgehammer and rides a wrecking ball. She's wearing a tight little sleeveless shirt, some underwear and a pair of Doc Martens. At first. Eventually it's just the Doc Martens. I sincerely wish I'd been a fly on the wall when she and the director discussed how much better the video would be if she licked that sledgehammer. Decisions like that are what takes a project like this from bad to so bad it's awesome!

At the time of its release I remember telling a friend that "Wrecking Ball" isn't a bad pop ballad. I mused aloud that maybe someone who doesn't need to bludgeon their child star past to death should take a crack at it. Behold, Eli Lieb. The openly gay singer takes a stripped down approach to the song that feels a lot more organic, honest and heartfelt. It's a very satisfying marriage of man and electric dulcimer... an instrument he plays, not licks. (Though to be fair, I realize lots of people would enjoy seeing him play his dulcimer while just wearing a pair of Doc Martens.)

Eli Lieb (photo courtesy of his Facebook page)

Eli Lieb's music is available on iTunes and his website. You can check out more of his videos on YouTube.

To see the first entry in the Divas vs. Queers series (featuring Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" reimagined by Matt Alber), click here.

Divas vs. Queers

What happens when openly gay singers dare to cover songs made famous by divas?

The Song: "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"

It was the first single from Whitney Houston's second studio album, Whitney, released in 1987. Topping the charts in over a dozen countries, the recording also won Houston a Grammy and an American Music Award. Despite widespread commercial success, critical response was mixed. While the Los Angeles Times called it "a deliciously raucous tune," The New York Times declared that listening to it was like "watching television while someone fiddles with the color controls." But a quarter of a century later, lots of people consider it to be a definitive example of '80s dance-pop. Frankly, I hate her version (and the video doesn't help). Loud and feverish, it sounds like the aural equivalent of a convulsion rather than a sincerely expressed desire to dance with someone. But I realize I'm in the minority there.

At the time of it's release I remember telling a friend that it might be tolerable if someone besides Houston turned it into a ballad. I got my wish in 2012 when openly gay singer Matt Alber took the song in a whole new direction. Haunting and elegant, Alber grounds it in recognizable, relatable emotion.

His cover of "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" is available on iTunes or cdbaby.

I saw Matt Alber live in 2013. If you ever get the chance to see him perform, go -- he's sexy, affable and truly gifted.

Matt Alber (photo courtesy of his official Facebook page)