Tuesday, February 4, 2014

'RuPaul Presents The CoverGurlz' by The RuPaul's Drag Race Season 6 Cast Album Review

RuPaul knows how to do good business, and once she's got you hooked she won't let you be free from her perfectly manicured claws. With the plethora of established singing queens on the show this season, Ru went ahead and had all 14 queens record their own versions of her own hit songs for the very first ever RuPaul's Drag Race album. With the huge success past contestants like Willam, Detox, Manila and Pandora have had releasing original songs, it was only a matter of time before Ru got the girls in the game earlier than expected. Overall it's a solid album filled with some great jams that make for a good cardio playlist. I now present to you The CoverGurlz of Season 6...

1. Let's Turn the Night - The Pit Crew

One of the most gorgeous RuRaul songs is 'Let's Turn the Night' and what better way to kick-off the album? Before we get to the Season 6 contestants though, the infamous eye candy that is the Pit Crew takes on the first track. Shawn Morales and Jason Carter are assisted by Ru's vocals for a lot of the track, but Jason who is actually prepping the release of his own music takes the lead while Shawn provides more backing vocals. Either way, it's a highlight of the album for me.

2. Ladyboy - Gia Gunn

What can I say about Gia other than that she's annoying. She's already my least favorite queen going into this competition, but with this track she's only confirmed my thoughts. Her voice is so bad it's auto -tuned so much you can barely recognize her, and her "singing" voice is just as annoying as her speaking voice. I skip it each time.

3. Tranny Chaser - Joslyn Fox

Joslyn picks things up a bit, although I'm still not too big a fan of her or this song. The remix of this track is probably the best part as it becomes a huge club jam with a banging beat. Joslyn's sexy vocals fit the song well.

4. I Bring the Beat - Vivacious

Prior to listening to this I hadn't quite made up my mind about Vivacious. She's just not my style, but she had that air of mystery which made her intriguing. However, this rendition of 'I Bring the Beat' I think is actually better than Ru's. The song is completely transformed to compliment Viviacious' voice, and the popping space-y beat is awesome. This club kid has my attention.

5. Superstar - Adore Delano

Adore is the first of the queens who is an actual singer as she competed on American Idol as Danny Noriega. Thankfully, she doesn't disappoint. I know that Danny is a great singer, but I love how Adore keeps it simple and restrained on this track. 'Superstar' is one of Ru's best tracks and I feel Adore did her justice. Her smoky vocals fit perfectly and I can easily jam to this one.

6. Click Clack - Bianca del Rio

Bianca is a fabulous and shelarious NYC queen who I'm rooting for, but sadly I'm too big a fan on this song which I don't think had anything to do with her. I just hate the arrangement of the song. It's so slow and boring. The original was smoking hot, but this is a huge disappointment. Bianca does the best she can with it though.

7. Destiny Is Mine - Milk

Quite easily the breakout star of Season 6 even though the show hasn't even aired yet is Milk. She's so strange but has everyone lingering on her every move and wanting to know more about her. I'm really hoping she's the dark horse of this competition because I am head-over-heels in love with her. She has quite a good voice, having already collaborated with her boyfriend JbDubs, and it shows here as well. The production isn't too much different from the original but Milk makes it her own.

8. Devil Made Me Do It - Ben de la Creme

Ben has been one of my favorites since the rumors for Season 6 started, and I'm so excited to see what she brings to the show. It's obvious listening to this song that she doesn't have a singing voice at all because her vocals are so distorted that you'd never guess this is her singing, but at the same time it's still a great tune that I can jam to.
9. Lick It Lollipop - Darienne Lake

I have to say, Darienne blew me away. I was not expecting to love this song, but I think it may almost be my favorite on the whole album. I love the whole coy thing Darienne does with her voice on this track. It's fun and infectious, and how could you not giggle every time she says "lick it?" I may be stanning for her hardcore this season, and the rumor that she makes it to Top 4 is even more exciting. Plus, with Pandora as her drag daughter you know she must be fabulous!

10. Glamazon - Magnolia Crawford

I'm still not sure what to think of Magnolia. She's a wild card for me at this point. It's obvious from this song though that she knows how to market herself as her name is her calling card that you won't soon forget after listening. I think she could have done more with what is probably Ru's second most iconic song, but I'm not complaining.

11. Main Event - Kelly Mantle

Kelly is a favorite of mine because I love her sense of humor, and the rumor that she goes home on the first episode because she injures herself is killing me. However, she's also a singer and it's clear here. 'Main Event' is one of my favorite Ru tracks, and I think she does it justice. The club beat takes away from the power of the original but Kelly does a good job with it.

12. Champion - Courtney Act

If there's one queen to look out for this season it's Courtney. She does it all, she's the total package, and it's going to be interesting to see how the other queens compare to her. On paper she's already won the season, but we'll see how the competition plays out. Courtney is of course a phenomenal singer as she competed on Australian Idol, and her version of 'Champion' is great. I love it and I love her voice. Could her singing 'Champion' be foreshadowing the outcome? We shall see...

13. Jealous of My Boogie - Laganja Estranja

And we now come to the queen who is my #1 this season. Being from the House of Edwards you already know she's got the whole package from the sickening death drops to outrageous fashion. Fortunately, she can also sing, and 'Jealous of My Boogie' is easily my favorite track on the album. The reason why I love it so much is because her artistry comes out from her changing lyrics, the beat fits her nicely, and then she raps. Her rap is literal perfection and shows off who she is as a competitor and a queen. She is one to be reckoned with this season, and I'm going to champion her until she takes home the crown.

14. Cover Girl - Trinity K. Bonet

Trinity has a very deep voice, and it's quite interesting hearing her sing 'Cover Girl'. But I think it actually works well and makes for an enjoyable track. This song is totally up her alley. Her voice gives the song an added dimension that makes for an overall nice sounding track.

15. Sexy Drag Queen - April Carrión

Rounding out the album is our Puerto Rican queen, April. She takes on one of Ru's more recent releases 'Sexy Drag Queen' of which I'm a big fan. April brings her Latin flair to the track and it turns out to be a decent tune. Not one of my favorites, but it's still enjoyable to listen to.

You can head over to the World of Wonder YouTube page to watch music videos for all the songs, as well as listen to clips of all the tracks below.

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