This
year
might
be
remembered
for
many
things,
but
audiophiles
will
definitely
think
of
2006
as
a
hot
year
for
music.
Some
of
the
biggest
names
in
the
queer
world
released
albums,
as
did
plenty
of
gay
icons,
as
well
as
straight
artists
savvy
enough
to
court
a
gay
fan
base.
Gay
men
were
all
over
the
musical
map
this
year.
Elton
John
paid
tribute
to
his
successful,
long-time
creative
partnership
with
Bernie
Taupin
with
the
release
of
“The
Captain
and
the
Kid”
to
rave
reviews.
Sir
Elton
also
spent
time
in
the
studio
with
some
of
his
more
well
known
fans
—
the
gay-led
rock
band
Scissor
Sisters.
One
of
the
most
talented
queer
acts
in
music,
the
Sisters
collaborated
with
their
idol
on
two
tracks
on
their
album,
“Ta-Dah,”
a
fun
romp
through
the
disco,
honky-tonk,
rock
and
pop.
Super
gay
duo
the
Pet
Shop
Boys
also
came
back
to
the
scene
with
“Fundamental/
Fundamentalism,”
which
showcased
their
electronic
dance/pop
roots.
Their
British
brothers
Erasure
stripped
their
sound
down
to
the
basics
for
“Union
Street,”
an
acoustic
album.
Fans
clamoring
for
a
gay
answer
to
Eminem
got
their
wish
in
the
form
of
Cazwell
—
a
potty-mouthed
gay
MC
who
proves
queers
can
rock
the
mic
just
as
well
as
their
heterosexual
counterparts.
Across
the
pond,
George
Michael
released
an
import-only
whopping
greatest
hits
package,
“Twenty-Five.”
Michael
also
gave
fans
some
new
material,
including
duets
with
Sir
Paul
McCartney
and
Mutya,
a
member
of
the
Sugarbabes.
Drag
queen
extraordinaire
RuPaul
also
released
a
new
album.
His
remixes
on
“RuPaul:
ReWorked”
provided
great
tunes
for
the
dance
floor.
Also
in
the
dance
genre,
Amber,
Sean
Ensign,
gay
twins
Nemesis,
and
Christian
pop
duo
Jason
&
deMarco
also
released
dance
music
of
note
in
2006.
DJs
whose
music
causes
gay
boys
to
hit
the
clubs
were
in
full
force
again
this
year,
too:
Roland
Belmares,
Peter
Rauhofer,
the
Shapeshifters
—
a.k.a.
“ShapeUK”
in
the
States,
Paul
Oakenfold
and
the
Freemasons,
who
also
were
busy
remixing
some
of
the
biggest
names
in
music
in
addition
to
their
own
albums.
The
grand
dames
of
lesbian
music,
Indigo
Girls
and
Melissa
Etheridge,
both
released
new
music
in
2006.
The
Girls
released
“Despite
Our
Differences,”
which
showcased
and
capitalized
on
the
creative
and
lyrical
differences
between
bandmates
Emily
Saliers
and
Amy
Ray.
With
“I
Need
to
Wake
Up,”
Etheridge
gave
us
the
Grammy-nominated
song
from
Al
Gore’s
“An
Inconvenient
Truth.”
Here’s
hoping
she
gives
us
a
full
album
of
new
music
in
2007.
Etheridge
and
the
Girls’
sister
from
the
Great
White
North,
k.d.
lang,
also
had
a
busy
year.
The
crooner
released
a
career
retrospective
album
(“Reintarnation”),
covered
the
Beatles
on
the
soundtrack
for
the
animated
flick
“Happy
Feet,”
and
sang
a
duet
with
a
living
legend
on
“Tony
Bennett
Duets:
An
American
Classic.”
Lesbian
musical
maven
Linda
Perry
was
also
hard
at
work
this
year.
She
continued
writing
and
producing
for
some
of
the
biggest
names
in
pop
music.
Among
her
contributions
were
“Not
Dead
Yet”
by
Pink,
“Back
to
Basics”
by
Christina
Aguilera,
and
“The
Sweet
Escape”
by
Gwen
Stefani.
Other
musicians
courting
the
gay
audience
in
2006
included
Justin
Timberlake
with
“FutureSex/LoveSounds.”
The
Dixie
Chicks
further
embraced
their
status
as
liberal
icons
with
“Taking
the
Long
Way,”
and
Janet
Jackson
let
fans
know
she
was
still
in
“control”
with
her
anniversary
album,
“20
Years
Old.”
Other
stars
of
interest
who
released
new
music
in
2006
included
Shakira,
Nelly
Furtado,
Carrie
Underwood,
Gnarls
Barkley,
Beyonce,
Fergie,
K.T.
Tunstall,
Kelis,
OutKast,
Ciara,
and,
however
painful
it
is
to
admit,
Paris
Hilton.
Gay
icon
Madonna
should
win
the
prize
for
best
musical
package
released
in
2006.
“I’m
Going
to
Tell
You
a
Secret,”
a
DVD
showcasing
her
2004
Re-Invention
Tour
with
a
live
CD
with
songs
from
the
show,
was
a
first
for
the
superstar.
Of
course,
fans
are
already
drooling
for
a
similar
release
scheduled
for
sometime
in
2007
for
Madonna’s
Confessions
Tour,
which
set
records
across
the
globe
for
fastest
selling
tickets
and
venue
attendance.
The
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be removed.
This
year
might
be
remembered
for
many
things,
but
audiophiles
will
definitely
think
of
2006
as
a
hot
year
for
music.
Some
of
the
biggest
names
in
the
queer
world
released
albums,
as
did
plenty
of
gay
icons,
as
well
as
straight
artists
savvy
enough
to
court
a
gay
fan
base.
