Song of the Month - Brandon Hilton's "Daddy"

It is quite refreshing to do a song of the month as opposed to a weekly gig. It makes the stakes higher, and the competition tougher. As you know, I don't focus much of mainstream music, so in the grand tradition of Taking Over The Universe and the Universal Conquest Awards, we will continue to pick indie artists for this distinction. This month, Brandon Hilton has released a new single that has this blogger doing a double take.

I know what you are probably thinking: I talk about Brandon too much. Yeah, that might be true, but when an artist grows as much  and as quickly as this one, I can't help but brag about him. This time around, he has switched things up, moving from 100% pop to dabbling in R&B. While it's not a huge change, it still marks growth, and shows us a different side of him.

The song itself is about his life with his dad. Things get a little ugly, as his history with his dad is complicated. He has not publicly went into details of what happened, but the song does shed some light onto the situation. This also marks an interesting turn as it's his first song to have an explicit warning label, which can be contributed to his bitter feelings about the whole ordeal.

There have been mixed feelings about the song thus far with his fans. I, for one, like this change, as it makes him into a more diverse and deep artist. He has cleared up the confusion a bit online saying that this was an experiment and will probably not a style of music he is going to pursue in the future, but it was a story he felt needed to be told.

You can preview and buy the February Song of the Month "Daddy" by Brandon Hilton on iTunes.

RuPaul's Drag Race Recap - Snatch Game Season Five

To be honest, I was a bit down after last week's double elimination. This means that not only did two of my favorites go home, but it opens the possibility for having a situation where nobody goes home, and it will probably be during a week where there is someone who really needs to get the boot. Oh well, life goes on, and so does Team GaoSalad.

Drag Race Season Five Cast-Off Roundup Part One

It's that time again. Every three weeks, I'll be posting a before and after of the queens who have been told to sashay away. I will be taking my first impressions of the girls, based on this post right here (based on the casting announcement interviews), and comparing it to how they really did on the show. There will be laughs. There will be tears. There will be blood. Well, only if your nose starts to bleed from excitement. Let's get started before I look even more weird!

Penny Tration

"This girl won the fan pick for the show, otherwise I'm not sure she would have made the cut. It looks like they were going for pure fish this season, and that is far from what she is serving us. Her makeup looks bad, her hair looks bad, and I'm just not feeling it. She claims to be the big funny one, but I wasn't laughing. It's a shame."

Penny, oh Penny. This just isn't the year for big girls. She joined on the wrong season, it would seem, and it looks like the fan-vote went to waste with her going home first. Honestly, as disappointed as I was with her taking the lead in the votes, I don't think she was the first deserving to go home. That being said, she was never meant to last long.

Serena ChaCha

"Gotta give love to a gal who accepted my friend request on Facebook! Holla! In the face she reminds me of Ongina. I'm not digging the hair, but I love the androgyny of her outfit, and the fact that shes one of the few queens not wearing a breast plate. She seems very personable, and the small outtake towards the end where she asks if she was doing the interview right was hysterical. Definitely one of my top picks!" 

So the big question is do I regret saying she was one of my top picks? No. From the interviews she was phenomenal. On the show, however, she turned out to be less than stellar. I don't know if it was due to her age (I believe we are the same age, actually), or if it was because she was from a different background and had a different take on drag. Either way she flopped the first week and had a wardrobe malfunction the second week. Most queens don't get two chances, so she got the boot. 

Monica Beverly Hillz

"I know a queen named Beverly Hillz already, so this girl is going to need to impress to get on my good side -- to which she doesn't. She looks busted, and has the worst piercing combo I've ever seen. Her dress is bad and her hair is bad. This one is probably my least favorite queen for this season, especially since she is calling other queens busted. That being said, given the results of last season, having the most busted girls stay so long, I expect her to go far."

Regret number one is saying anything bad about Monica. Sometimes I am quick to judge. Plus the statement "least favorite queen for this season" was a flat out lie because we all know who that title belongs to. Monica turned out to be very talented, but also very insecure. Seeing all that fish around this year would make anyone who didn't fit that mold to a T uncomfortable. I hope to see more of this lady in the future.

Honey Mahogany

"Finally a queen from San Fran! It's about damn time. Too bad the first wasn't Mama Pollo. She looks gorgeous and has some amazing hair in this look. She says her name comes from the makeup she wore when she first started, which is kind of amusing. She talks about how different the SF queens are from the rest of the world, which is true, but she seems pretty unique. She even gives us a taste of her singing voice -- to which she's already announced her debut single. Damn and the show ain't even started yet!"

Although her single "It's Honey" hasn't made a whole lot of waves, it is still a solid release that I can dig. Honey was one I had such high hopes for, but wasn't given a chance to shine. She made Drag Race history as being part of a duo to be the first double elimination. I wish she had stayed longer and gotten a chance to show what she had, but I have to agree with the judges about her runway looks. Thankfully she rectified the situation with her new music video!

Vivienne Pinay

"My favorite queen based on the pictures was the last to get an interview (they are alphabetical, at least). I always fall in love with the Asian queens. She seems like one of the most polished girls this seasons, and she comes across as a very nice person. She says she's not been doing drag long, but this girl ain't no Shangela. She also confesses that she is very inspired by Juju, which is pretty obvious, too."  

No shade, but Vivienne was the best looking queen this season. The fact that she was "boring" for them (the same reason last year's top notch queen Princess got sent packing) was a poor excuse. I can understand why she got frustrated with things, but I wish she had pushed a bit harder so she didn't get sent home so early. Thankfully, after the first episode, she didn't get compared to Juju any more. Good job, my queen. May you come back stronger and fiercer. 

Album Review - Frankmusik "Far From Over"

Oh, Frankmusik. How you never cease to amaze me with your music. After returning to his original stage name, after a brief stint as Vincent Did It, he has put out his first release. This EP, entitled "Far From Over" sends out a message that should be clear from the title -- Frankmusik isn't going anywhere, and his music is here to stay.

Awesome Posts: Isis And Coco Review Drag Race

I know, I know. You guys are probably getting sick of all the Drag Race posts, but I just can't help myself. This season is just getting better and better, and this week, given that there was an extreme situation, I don't think just one review is enough. So here I bring you Drag experts Isis Mirage and her girlfran Coco Ferocha review both Drag Race and the companion series (which I conveniently ignore) Untuckeed. And how dare you claim this is just a ploy to butter them up for letting me do a call in for one of their videos. How insulting of you!

Kim Smith Bursts Out With Sexy Debut Single

Kim Smith may not be a huge name yet, but he is about to turn a lot of heads with his debut single "Jealous". This Australian is taking a stab at electropop music, and he has got my attention. Soon he will have yours, too.

 

"Jealous" is Kim's debut song, and it makes a solid impression. Running in the same veins as artists like Brandon Hilton and Moses, he brings high energy to the game, while delivering a song that sexy and entertaining.  For his debut, he collaborated with Erik Gold and Mans Ek to bring this to our ears.

There isn't a lot of info out about Kim Smith just yet. He has been making name for himself in NYC, but outside of the New York bubble, he is a bit of an unknown. I guess that's where I come in, right? What we do know is that he is no stranger to performing, and judging by the previews on his SoundCloud, he isn't giving up on the pop music scene any time soon. Oh, and he's pretty hot, too (but then again, most Australians).

This hot track is actually a remix version of the song. The remix, by Vibekingz, is currently the only version of the song that has been publicly released. It is currently unknown if the original mix of the song will be made available in the future. A video is in the works as well, but all that has been posted on that is a couple of hard-to-see videos.

Honey Mahogany Releases Sticky "It's Honey" Video

Every year, more and more queens for RuPaul's Drag Race turn to music to not only express themselves, but cash in on their new found fame. This season took me by surprise, however, when one queen in particular started releasing songs from the day the casting was announced. And now, fresh off her controversial elimination, she's released her first video. The song is called "It's Honey" and, yes, it is pretty sticky.



There is so much going on in this video. We see her as a dominatrix, we see her as an Amazon warrior, we see her as a campy bride. She is a chameleon in this video, and it probably has a lot to do with her Drag Race stint. She was most criticized for not showing off her figure enough, and this video is all body, body, body.

Also, as a treat for the viewers, other Drag Race divas fan-favorite Jujubee and season three winner Raja appear in a couple of scenes across the board. These two are becoming regular video hos, aren't they? I mean that in the best, most loving way possible. Raja's my bitch. I'll interview her one day, just wait and see.

Back to Honey, this video is a bit all over the place. While I like seeing all the different sides of her, it does create a bit of a mess. Does she look gorgeous? Yes. Does the video have any sort of order or plot? No. The video is made up of a bunch of different scenes, each with different outfits, each with her lip syncing to her song. Usually this isn't a bad thing, but here, none of the looks flow together, aside from showing all of her various looks that she can pull off. This serves as both a positive and a negative for the work as a whole.

This one thing is just me nitpicking. The video as a whole, especially for a first attempt, is very well done. She obviously was aiming to make something of quality that fans could enjoy, and seeing as the song is her theme song, she definitely accomplished what she wanted. This video will please the fans she's already got, and it just may change the minds of those who doubted her on the show.