December 8, 2000

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

The gift that really does keep on giving

by Anthony Glassman

some-

It's always hard buying a gift for one, unless they told you exactly what they want, and it isn't sold out. There is one gift, to coin a cliché, that keeps giving. If anybody tries to tell you something else is "the gift that keeps on giving," they're lying. This is the gift that lasts forever or until the tape wears out or the CD gets too scratched or the MP3 accidentally gets erased.

Music!

And the joy of it is, there's so darn much of it. Here at the Chronicle, we get a lot (believe me, a lot) of CDs, good, bad, and in between, from a lot of artists, straight, gay, bisexual, transgendered and David Bowie, who has been just about all of them at one point or another in his career.

Bowie's not in this holiday gift guide, but there's plenty of other really good stuff. Some of it is available wherever records are sold; some is available only online. We'll try to let you know which is which. Just to be nice, the albums are broken into very loose genres.

Rock, pop and R & B

The Butchies

Population 1975

Le Tigre

These two releases from Mr. Lady

Records, out of Durham, North Carolina, home of Duke University, should put to rest once and for all the eternal question:

Can

rock?

girls

Yes, they can. And they do. And they're women, you chauvinist pig.

Imagine the Go-Gos in a bad mood, or L7 on antidepressants. Either one should give you a fair idea of how good these women are. My boss will have to pry these CDs out of my cold, dead hands.

Sarah Dougher

The Walls Ablaze

Tami Hart

No Light in August

Again with the Mr. Lady music? Yes, more from that wonderful little homo core alternaqueer record label. They sent us the four CDs, but I actually had to e-mail them to request these

things, and I'm glad I did. Dougher is more folky; Hart has some folksy songs, but a lot of her songs are more hard-edged rock. These two women are definitely dykes to watch out for.

Dave Hall

True

Dave Hall's third album apparently is a · bit of a departure for Hall, softer and more folk-sounding than the gay singersongwriter's earlier works. There is a line of melancholy running through the album that begs introspection. If you don't like loud and brash music, this would be a good album to pick up. It would be the perfect album to put in the CD player while reading in front of a roaring fire on a cold winter's night.

Available at Amazon.com, Borders.com, and CDNow.com.

Anthony Rapp Look Around

The openly-gay Rapp first came to the public eye origi-

nating the role of Mark Cohen in the original workshop production of Rent, but this is not a Broadway album. This is cool alternative rock, with a little

touch of Weezer,

a little Material Issue. It's hard to say who he sounds like; he sounds like Anthony Rapp. It's a good CD, and it's much to my taste. Good guitars, fun mike distortion, a good album for any friend who likes college rock. Available primarily at www.disgrace land.com.

Roxette Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus Greatest Hits

Okay, you're thinking "What greatest hits?" If you're good at music trivia, and can remember the late eighties, you could probably easily name two songs of theirs that became popular. I recognized four instantly, and a bunch of others sound familiar. It's a nice collection that brings back memories of days long ago, when our Bushes didn't have Ws, the president didn't sleep with interns and get caught, and the Backstreet

Boys and 'N Sync were all in primary school.

Ari Gold Ari Gold

Gold is gay, and Gold is gorgeous. It's almost a shame to open the CD case; it means you can't look at his bare chest. His sound is very pop R&B; he's currently working with writer-producer Desmond Child,

which should turn r gold

out some good ma-

terial. Gold has

been called the “Jewish, gay Babyface,” and that's pretty apt. Except for the sneaking suspicion that Babyface is gay himself...

Available at www.arigold.com. Natalie Cole

Greatest Hits, Volume 1

What can an innocent reporter say about this CD? It's Natalie Cole, for Pete's sake! Nat King Cole's daughter. One of the most mellifluous voices in R&B. It has a slew of good songs on it, from a live version of "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," to her posthumous duet with her father on his signature song, "Unforgettable." It almost brings a tear to the eye.

I rolled my eyes when this CD came in, but even someone as cynical and jaded as yours truly can't say anything bad about this. It also includes two new, never-beforereleased tracks, "Angel on my Shoulder" and "Livin' for Love."

Jazz and show tunes

Ralph DiLudovico House of Flowers

This tribute to songwriter Howard Arlen is magnificent, and truly showcases DiLudovico's wonderful voice.

For those of you who think you don't know Harold Arlen's work, you're wrong. He wrote the music for The Wizard of Oz, as well as the original A Star is Born. The songs are all familiar, and done incredibly well. And, to sweeten the pot for Ohio's gay and lesbian community, DiLudovico is not only gay, but he lives in Akron!

Available at Amazon.com or Angel Falls Coffee Shop. Patricia Barber Nightclub

Lesbian singer and pianist Patricia Barber is the golden child of the jazz world, and this new album shows why. All

you need to hear is her rendition of "Autumn Leaves" and you're hooked. She takes a bunch of old standards and, to once again use a cliché, she makes them her own. And she definitely covers her bases: Johnny Mercer, Bacharach, Armstrong, Porter, Cahn, they're all here in one easy-to-carry package.

Bill Charlap Trio Written in the Stars

Smooth piano jazz suitable for almost any occasion, is what this

is. It brings to mind a fine restaurant with a band playing in the corner, unobtrusive but presenting a

nice counterpoint to the evening.

Annie Get Your Gun

Hit the Deck

The Unsinkable Molly Brown

ANNIE GET YOUR GYN

Rhino Records just re-released these three soundtracks, all with previously unreleased tracks. The real gem of the three is Annie Get Your Gun, which features tracks that were recorded for

an aborted version of the film that was to star Judy Garland. And we're all friends of Dorothy, aren't we?

Dance, house, techno

Lotus Lotus

Sultry vocals over happening house music make Lotus' eponymous album a darn good listen. If you're buying for a fan of danceteria, this is the disc for you.

Dave Ralph

Love Parade: Berlin

A recording of Eurotrance giant Dave Ralph's set at the world's biggest dance party, also containing video footage from the party itself on the enhanced CD. Some really good stuff here, definitely rave-worthy. It's out on gay-owned Relativity Records, who also put out . . .

Timo Maas

Music for the Maases

Talk about value! Two CDs of remixes and original tracks from Timo Maas. Another example of everything that is good in the world of house music.