If Oscar Wilde had been an openly gay American glam rocker in the 1970s with a theatrical background and an equally theatrical flair, then he might have gone by the name Jobriath. Born Bruce Campbell, Jobriath walked the walk, where David Bowie seemingly only talked the talk. Signed to a major label (Elektra) in the early ’70s, Jobriath was both a victim of misdirected hype (some of it his own creation) and a culture unready for a being so profoundly gay. Now being championed by Morrissey, the late Jobriath (who died of AIDS complications in 1983), whose albums have long been out of print, is finally getting his chance to be heard by a more welcoming and appreciative public with the release of Lonely Planet Boy (Attack). A 15-track compilation, the songs on Lonely Planet Boy sound tame by today’s standards, but they also reacquaint us with a genuine queer music pioneer. This is the must-have disc for Pride 2005.

I have long maintained that the songs a singer/songwriter chooses to cover speak volumes about the performer. Young queer singer/songwriter Skott Freedman’s cover of “The Wind” by Cat Stevens on his 2003 Some Company disc was a case in point. Judge A Book (Violent Yodel), Freedman’s new album of cover tunes, further explores that avenue. One of the things the disc accomplishes is allowing the listener to rethink a song, particularly when performed by a queer artist, as is the case with Freedman’s reading of The Verve Pipe’s “The Freshmen,” Bruce Hornsby’s “Every Little Kiss,” Green Day’s “Basket Case,” or even “Fallin’,” from the Broadway musical They’re Playing Our Song. My favorite parts of the album, however, are Freedman’s duets with other singer/songwriters. Not the strongest vocalist, Freedman has pitch problems on some of the tracks. But when paired up with the likes of Edie Carey, Jill Sobule and Mark Weigle, the results are magical. Carey’s is the first voice you hear on the gorgeous “Good Morning Baby” (originally performed by the underrated Bic Runga), and when her voice comes together with Freedman’s, the song feels like warm sunshine. In what is one of the most inspired couplings in recent memory, Freedman joins Jill Sobule in a duet on her especially timely “Soldiers Of Christ.” Freedman also teams up with Mark Weigle (who released a covers album a couple of years ago) on The Magnetic Fields’ “Papa Was A Rodeo,” for a little roping and tying.

Brian Grillo first crossed my radar as a member of the late-’80s hard-rocking band Lock Up (along with Tom Morello, later of Rage Against the Machine). He gained far more fame as the front man in Extra Fancy, an in-your-face queer rock band signed to Atlantic Records in the early ’90s, during the early days of the gay marketing craze. Victims of major-label malaise, Extra Fancy soon found themselves without a home. Grillo has returned, solo, with Stomping Back On Fire (Spitshine). An undeniably powerful acoustic effort, Grillo reveals yet another side of himself over the course of 11 tracks, emerging as a serious and honest voice for both the HIV and gay communities. Fans of the Grillo of old will be pleased to know that he does, in fact, plug in for the closing track, “Right Here.” He even explores his electro-industrial side on an unlisted bonus cut.

Turning up both the torch and the twang on his latest album, Town Feeling (Badman), queer Brit “folk balladeer” James William Hindle meets the daunting task of following up his brilliant Prospect Park disc head on. Not as immediately satisfying as its predecessor, Town Feeling did grab me by the third listen from start to finish, and I haven’t stopped playing it since. The country waltz of “Dog & Boy” is followed by the anything but quiet “Silence,” which reaches its peak when Gary Olson’s trumpet chimes in. “Sleeping Still” is one of the sweetest songs I’ve ever heard about coming home late, and “Love You More” is the just kind of warm acoustic love song I would expect Hindle to create. In addition to marking time’s passage on songs such as “Birthday Candles,” “Seven Hours” and “Jamie,” Hindle offers his unique perspective on reunions (“Back Home Again”) and staying together (“Please Don’t Go”).

My late father loved jazz, and even fancied himself something of a rhythm keeper – hence the drum kit in the basement and the bongos in the closet. One of my earliest musical memories is of him listening to records by jazz-vibes great Lionel Hampton. I don’t remember if he ever listened to Gary Burton, but I think he would have liked the openly gay vibes player’s style and his way with the mallets. The fittingly titled Next Generation (Concord) finds Burton accompanied by a quartet of young, rising jazz performers. So supportive is Burton of these young musicians that he actually includes a pair of compositions by pianist Vadim Neselovskyi and one by guitarist Julian Lage. There is also a Pat Metheny cover and an interpretation of “Fuga” by gay composer Samuel Barber.

Possessing a distinctive and powerful voice and a unique sense of humor, Holcombe Waller sounds like a mellower West Coast version of Justin Tranter on his new album Troubled Times (Napoleon). Whether he’s inviting a patriot to dance buck-naked while watching “one monkey chop down the last cherry tree” on the title track, invoking a dream state on the gorgeous “Seven Eight Song” or wagging a finger at Condoleeza Rice in the pure pop pleasure of “No Enemy,” Waller stands out from the crowd. Waller also has a knack for Americana tunes such as “Literally the End of the World,” “Little Wrecking Ball” and “Litany,” as well as exhibiting his own idiosyncratic style on “Take Me With You” and “Without It.”

Also based in the Bay Area, John Ashfield continues his joyful explorations of pop music on Distance To Empty (Pop Pop), his latest full-length solo effort. Much of what made 2002’s Harmony Bunny such a pleasure can be found here. Ashfield’s pleasant vocals and stellar song crafting are at their best and brightest on the refreshing “The Watermelon Song,” “Go Slow,” “Lenz,” “YouMeNYC,” the electronically tinged “Only Dreaming,” “The Best Part,” the fairly funky “Tell Me,” the pop lullaby “Sleep Tight” and even “Come Along,” a rocking diatribe against the current sad state of radio.

Like the aforementioned Skott Freedman, Sacha Sacket is also a pianist. On his second full-length album, Shadowed (Golden Sphinx), Sacket continues to unite both organic and synthetic keyboards. Add to that Sacket’s emotion-laden vocals and the combination is very effective, particularly on “The Prodigal,” “Desire,” “Cruel Attempt,” “I Just Can’t,” “Paris and September” and “Palestine.”

A number of gay male singer/songwriters also have discs that may be of interest to readers during Pride season and throughout the year. Nothing Like It (markmercermusic.com) is a collection of original tunes by blue-eyed soul singer Mark Mercer, including the infectious same-sex marriage dance track “Chapel of Love.” Canadian singer/songwriter Andy Northrup’s songs have a touch of the twang on Cardboard Logic (anorthrup.com), and Speak True (ronmorrismusic.com) by Ron Morris is a pleasing assortment of folk-pop numbers.

Pianist and composer Greg Jasperse, assistant conductor of Chicago’s professional vocal ensemble Lakeside Singers, has released an album of contemporary piano-driven jazz tracks titled Tournesol (gregjasperse.com). Jasperse’s experience with vocal groups can be heard on numerous tracks, including “Piedmont Park,” “Dandaya” and “Covenant,” on which the assembled vocalists give the songs a feel reminiscent of Pat Metheny’s and The Manhattan Transfer’s experiments with vocalese. The remaining smooth jazz tunes are as sunny and bright as a field of daisies.

An equal number of gay male artists have taken the other route and have released discs on which they interpret the work of others. The suitably named In Good Company (LML Music) finds renowned cabaret vocalist Lee Lessack partnering with a series of duet guests on a variety of standards. Nita Whitaker and Susan Egan join Lessack on “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “The Look Of Love,” respectively, livening up these classics. Regardless of what you think of Journey, hearing two gay men, Lessack and Brian Lane Green, sing “Open Arms” gives the song a new lease on life. In some of the most inspired moves on this disc, Lessack duets with few songwriters on their own compositions, including Susan Werner (“Blue Guitar”), Ann Hampton Callaway (“Bring Back Romance”), Amanda McBroom (“The Rose”), Johnny Rogers (the Simon & Garfunkel tribute “Here’s To You”) and Stephen Schwartz (“For Good” from Wicked).

Cabaret artist Craig Rubano draws on a variety of sources for his Change Partners (Prosody) disc, on which he covers everyone from the Gershwins and Cole Porter to Andrew Lloyd Weber and Carole King with Gerry Goffin. Pianist Danny Wright follows up his well-received holiday CD with Real Romance (Atlantic), on which he lends his touch to “Moon River” and “My Funny Valentine,” among others. On Out of My Hands (Koch International Classics), gay classical pianist Anthony de Mare performs the works of Aaron Jay Kernis and acclaimed gay composer David Del Tredici.