SONG OF THE DAY (SUNDAY?FUNDAY):? Matt Consola & James Torres ft Pollo Del Mar & LFB – #WhiteLadyProblems

Earlier this year, I wrote up “Google Google Apps Apps” by PERSIA ft Daddies Plastik for its call to political action to fight gentrification- as voiced by ferociously fierce and subversive drag queens.? Following in those high-heeled footsteps, the fabulous and fierce SF Bay scenester Pollo Del Mar (last seen with Kwanzaa Jones in the playful “Made You Look”) takes no prisoners as she satirically emulates the whining complaints of the overprivileged aristocracy.? That’s a hoity-toity way of saying that she is mocking rich bitches.? When you put their utterances in the perspective of real problems like “poverty, hunger, homelessness, racism, homophobia, deficit, AIDS,” they become just as funny as you might imagine – and that is the power of a good drag queen – finding humor and entertaining while also stirring political movements. The pumping tribal production of Matt Consola, Jamie Torres, and LFB keep the beats energetic so that the circuit boys may not even notice they are being schooled. Be sure to check out the well-titled Big Kid & Brian Cua Hunty mix as well.? What makes this a perfect?Sunday?Funday record is that Pollo Del Mar demonstrates that there is more to drag than just runway glamour and lip-syncing.

Image Courtesy of Swishcraft.

Matt Consola & James Torres ft Pollo Del Mar & LFB – #WhiteLadyProblems

SONG OF THE DAY: Bouvier & Barona ft Abigail – “Surrender”

Abigail will forever hold a special place in my heart… She has sung some of my all-time favorite anthems (“Let the Joy Rise,” “You Set Me Free,” “Constant Craving,” “Don’t You Wanna Know”) and the only thing more powerful than her voice is the kindness and love she brings to the people in her live performances.? With such a strong voice, she can easily overpower a producer, but thankfully the team of Bouvier & Barona step up to the plate with a strong tribal/electro hybrid track for “Surrender.”? Yes, there is a touch of ’90s in the mix, but it’s modernized to sound respectful and, more importantly, current.?? The strings in the breakdown are quite special, giving a pretty ‘hands in the air’ feel, which is perfectly-timed to be emotional yet not too long to kill dancefloor energy.? As great as the original version is, digging through the plethora of remixes there is clearly something for everyone, with my favorites being Sted-E & Hybrid Heights (progressive electro),? Manny Lehman (traditional circuit), Matt Consola & LFB (modern Hi-NRG), and ShockPop (experimental).??? “Surrender” is the lead single from Bouvier & Barona’s forthcoming Pride album which includes vocal collaborations with Nick Clow, labelmates Kelsey B and Julissa Veloz, as well as another Abigail gem “Take Me Back.”? I am just hoping that there are more wonderful club tracks coming from the glorious Abigail.

Image courtesy of Carrillo Music.