Queer As Folk
Boy crazy, girl crazy, or somewhere in between, the Pittsburgh inhabitants of Showtime's eyebrow-raisingQueer as Folkseries all meet on middle ground: the dance floor. This relentlessly upbeat soundtrack of flavor-of-the-month dance-club anthems and campy synth-pop is confectionary fun that never loses its wits. Katty B.'s remake of theFootlooseclassic "Let's Hear It for the Boy" is a hoot, as is a cover ofDivine's 1984 single "You Think You're a Man," which devolves into a naughty call-and-response of "boy" and "toy" that would makeMadonna's early years seem tame. The good mood continues with Alcazar's frenzied "Crying at the Discotheque," which contains the intriguing couplet "The golden ties, the silver years / You wore a tie like Richard Gere." Add Kristine W.'s undeniable dance hit "Lovin' You," theCher-likeHeather Smalls's "Proud," andMint Royale'sAbba-kissed "Shake Me," and a taste of nostalgia kicks in. That said, the album knows when to quit; thankfully, there are no clichédGloria GaynororDonna Summerremixes to be found, just a batch of friendly, sexy tracks that perfectly complement the show's revved-up characters.--Kristy Martin