Rage Recommends

Rage Recommends

By Tim Parks

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Play My F**kn Remix

Sir Ari Gold

 

Openly gay musician Sir Ari Gold returns with a bit of attitude on his sixth CD, Play My F**kn Remix. The title has its roots in the line from the Jennifer Lopez song “Play,” when she tells the DJ to play her motherf**king song. That sentiment goes along perfectly with Gold’s commanding nature of being called sir; especially on the first single “Play My Record,” where it is demanded lyrically that the DJ better do as he is told. Sir, yes, sir! And listeners would also be wise to give into its infectious beats on the track. 

The remainder of the  remix retrospective disc is a  literal mixture of his well-known  songs, such as “Where The Music Takes You” and “Love Will Take Over,” which comprise his 13-year-old music catalog and also features previously released efforts. Out Now.

 

Electric

Pet Shop Boys

 

With over 70 million records sold and 28 years in the music business, The Pet Shop Boys are in an interesting place in their careers. They recently left their Parlophone label and have started up their own, x2, through Kobalt Label Services and their 12th album, Electric, finds the Boys going back to their dance floor roots.

The first single, “Axis,” is indicative of the CD’s title, in that it features few words, just the synthesized beats that have made them fan favorites, lo these many years. The second single, “Vocal,” highlights Neil Tennant’s distinctive singing style, fused together with Chris Lowe’s mastery of the keyboards as it crescendos into a dance floor anthem. The track “Thursday” is a definite throwback song that could have been a song that was left off their very first CD, Please, and is a nice reminder of the nature of this full circle project. Out July 16.

 

The Way I Am

Colton Ford

 

Former porn star Colton Ford is back in front of the microphone for his third CD, which highlights the nuances that make up the man behind the moniker. Ford has enlisted producers, such as NERVO who has worked with Britney Spears and Kesha, on this latest project that is a combination of dance, pop, funk and even a little jazz thrown in for good measure. 

The dance portion of the CD features “First in Line (Shadow of the Night),” and “Let Me Live Again,” his Billboard hit from earlier this year. The track, “Realize,” sounds like something that Seal would sing in its vocalizations that sound reminiscent of the artist formerly known as Mr. Heidi Klum, while “Get To You” harkens back to the kicking it old school sounds of The Dazz Band. Out Now. 

 

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In The Family 

 

In The Family tackles the subject matter of sexual orientation and race relations against the backdrop of “family values” in the Southern portion of our country.  When Joey (portrayed by the film’s writer and director Patrick Wang) loses his partner Cody (Trevor St. John), he must find the strength to raise their young son Chip (Sebastian Banes) on his own.

He faces a complication in that endeavor, since the six-year-old was willed to Cody’s sister, and the resulting scenario results in a legal battle for custody of his child. The ensuing plotline highlights a fair assessment of conservative America’s stance on homosexuality. Out Now.

 

The House I Live In

 

The makers of the documentary The House I Live In train their camera lens on the U.S.’s war on drugs during a 40 year period; chronicling the government’s concentrated effort of attempting to eradicate drug use and distribution from the days of the Nixon administration to the present.

The Sundance Film Festival  Grand Prize Winner focuses on stories from those in the trenches, including drug dealers, those who have lost loved ones to addiction and judges and jailers in a series of revealing interviews. Out July 2.

 

Quartet

 

While it’s no Downton Abbey, the fictional Beecham House for Retired Musicians does feature one of its stars, Maggie Smith, and a slew of other British actors, including her Harry Potter co-star Michael Gambon. The residents, including four opera singers are prepping for the Verdi Gala, an annual event that is about to have an unexpected plus one in the guise of a new resident and old friend Jean (Smith). 

Quartet also marks the debut of Dustin Hoffman in a directing capacity. Out Now.