RuPaul – Butch Queen Album Review

With the new feature of being able to give your five star rating on the music featured on POParazzi, expect some reviews of old albums that, while not a new release, still deserve a listen! Up first is RuPaul’s Butch Queen. Released last month, it is the tenth studio album from the drag legend. Appropriately released days before the premiere of the latest season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, RuPaul’s studio albums have continued to be full of fun dance records that, while not groundbreaking, are the perfect way to celebrate life, love, art and the LGBT community.

The first track, “Cha Cha Bitch” featuring AB Soto, opens the album and sets the tone for the rest of Butch Queen. Like RuPaul’s perspective on drag, Butch Queen doesn’t take itself too seriously, and the Soto driven track is anything but humorless. Last year, AB Soto released a solo music video for the track, which you can watch below. In a culture that demands an artist’s music videos appeal to the masses and propel a track to chart success, it’s clear that Soto and RuPaul are irreverent to the bu$iness and care more about having fun and living life.

While RuPaul doesn’t have the vocal strengths of a Mariah Carey, she makes up for it in spades with her wisdom and way with words. “U Wear It Well” offers the inspiring advice: “Don’t let nobody tell you you ain’t beautiful. Go on and dream big, when you feel good it’s possible. So now you know the secret, lift up your voice and yell “You wear it, you wear it, you wear it well!””

“U Wear It Well” was used in the promotional campaign for the eighth season of Drag Race, and a sickening video featuring all of RuPaul’s fashion on the main stage was released to accompany the track. You can watch it below.

A highlight of Butch Queen is “Category Is…” which pays homage to RuPaul’s own reality show. “Category is….Linebacker!” RuPaul says before unleashing her infectious laugh. “Category Is…” is mindless fun (and no, that’s not a read.) Elis Miah and Margo Thunder join RuPaul for “Legends”, another highlight with more motivational lyrics. “Give your all. So what if you fall? Legends rise with attitude!”

Other can’t miss tracks on Butch Queen include “Drop”, “Drag Queen Honey” and “Sister Brother”. The latest single from the album is “Be Someone”, the Taylor Dayne duet with lyrical gems like “Imitation ain’t inspiration, so forget the flattery and give me sincerity!” Check out the music video for the song below featuring scenes from RuPaul’s own web show, RuPaul Drives, and, naturally, underwear models twerking.

Butch Queen, like the nine albums before it, is a fun dance album to lift your spirits. The Supermodel of the World knows her strengths come from her pearls of wisdom, and when they’re set to a dance beat, it’s hard not to smile and enjoy the beauty of life. Now it’s time to place your bets on which Butch Queen track will get the star music video treatment for the finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Butch Queen and its RuMixes are available on iTunes (naturally!). Get the original album here, and the remix album here. RuPaul’s second annual DragCon takes place in Los Angeles on May 7th and 8th. Tune in to Drag Race on Logo TV Mondays at 9:00 PM.