First Listen - Raja "Sublime"

And from the sky falls a new Raja song. Much like her first track, I guess I just missed the media hype for it (if there was any) but I'm glad I caught it. Raja may not be the next Beyonce, but he knows hot to make a good song, and how to have fun with it. Thus, the second I found out there was a second song, I knew I had to give it a spotlight. Check out "Sublime".

Coming in at just over four minutes, this song is a nice electronic romp at a much more uptempo feeling that Raja's first attempt. The pulsating keyboard track often time overpowers his voice during the verses, but he picks up the volume during the chorus and bridge. This beat was certainly made for dancing in a club, which given that he will probably be performing the track live on his club touring, makes a lot of sense.

Lyrically this song is pretty amusing. Raja never seems to take himself too seriously, even when he does look as fabulous as the look on the cover for the single. Lyrics like "I want you deep inside of me," and "I want your love all over me" chanted in the bridge over such poppy sounding techno beats is an obvious Raja move, having watched him closely on Drag Race season three to catch onto his little quirks.

I had no idea what to expect going into this single. "Diamond Crowned Queen" was a really odd track, and I didn't know if he could pull off a follow up to it. Thankfully, he has kept the music machine moving smoothly, allowing a very hot track to come out with a nice dusting of camp to keep it draggy and fun. Much like his fellow Heather, Manila Luzon, Raja knows how to create a song that, on the surface, sounds very impressive and hot, but doesn't take itself seriously.

I guess now we just have to wait for him to release an equally awesome music video to accompany this track. I can't even imagine what the video would be about or include. I can only hope that the single's cover would be involved in the process somehow, because it looks gorgeous, and if that is what Sublime is to Raja, that is what it should be to everyone.

The track is smart without being preachy, and campy without being silly. It's fun to listen to and yet it keeps itself from falling prey to being overly campy like many other drag songs do. This may be the best song released by a drag queen this ye-- Oh Manila has a new song out. Uhoh.

First Listen: Porcelain Black - Naughty Naughty

I can't for the life of me recall who it was the recommended I listen to the up and coming Red One backed artist Porcelain Black. Her songs have been pretty impressive so far, and her video for This Is What Rock N Roll Looks like is hilarious and awesome all at once. I mean, she even got Lil Wayne in her song, which is like instant stardom, right? Well I was bombarded by tweets in my feed today about this lady having her new single leaked. I guess I should give this one a go.

Her official follow up single was announced a ways back to be titled "Naughty Naughty." Yet another Red One track, this song doesn't disappoint... exactly. I guess it depends on what you are looking for. If you are expecting something ground breaking, look elsewhere. If you are a fan of other Red One artists, this is right where you need to be. I would also like to say that while this is being called a "leak" it is indeed released on YouTube on her official page, and is backed by Red One himself, so I see this one as fair game.

The back track is very heavily synthed up, making it easily danceable. It sounds a bit like it was sped up from what it was intended to be, which is a good thing because the song is already over four minutes long. This one makes use of every kind of effect your Mac's Garage Band can create. There are all kinds of beeps and whines in the background, but most of the time it is covered up by the vocals. It is a little less rock than I expected it to be, seeing as that was the whole concept of her previous track. I saw her as being more of a shock rocker with her look, but I guess variety isn't the worst thing in the world.

The lyrics themselves aren't incredibly impressive. I had a nice laugh at the line "I'm just so addicted to beautiful people." as it seems like something my friends and I would have said back in high school. It is pretty much your typical "lets all party" song, with a bit of a twist (That twist being it seems to be Patron free). It makes me a bit nervous for the track, seeing as the partying at the club fad seems to be dying a harsh death. I guess I really do want this girl to be famous. She has a lot of presense, much like Lady Gaga, but she feels more raw -- more real I guess. And the video for TiWRNRLK (Wow, that was awkward to type) really helped me become a fan of hers.

The song also falls into the "badass chicks taunting you" category. Much less laid back than Nadia Oh was with her track "Shade", Porcelain Black tells us "It's all about fun and games until I hurt somebody. So what you gonna do about it?" Unlike a fellow blogger of mine (he knows who he is), I like this approach much better. I like really strong women, and I love it when they sing about how super awesome they are. She is "attracted to danger" and wont allow you to be "her savior", mostly because she is too freaking amazing to let anyone as puny as you save her.

The song is not as crazy good as her previous single, but it is a strong follow up. I would love to see more from her in the future, and if she keeps the same amazing team she has now, she will definitely go places. The song is definitely one that will get stuck in your head and probably even drive you crazy, but in the music biz that is a very good thing. Embedding is disabled for the video on YouTube, so why don't you give a listen here.