Music Review: Alexis Michelle Bumps & Grinds & Sings About Mom & Dad On New Single IF YOU WANT MY APPLES

Heigh Ho, dear lovely rainbow tribe, welcome back to Bobby’s CD sandbox where we offer our broken-down breakdowns of new music releases. So, strap in and get ready, as Bobby goes on the record ABOUT the record.

This week’s album entry in the BobbyFiles comes from the world of Drag and one of its finest purveyors, Alexis Michelle. Alexis is an old-fashioned gal who believes in the traditions of drag that are informed tremendously by glamor and the American Musical Theatre. In fact, we have it on good authority that, back in the day, the lady was a fellow musical theatre student and close friend of our very fave, Alexandra Silber… and that ain’t hay, as they say - at least not in little Bobby’s book. So what does an “old fashioned” drag queen have to offer the world of drag today? we can hear you ask... A lot, as it turns out, and what she offers us, lately, besides her excellent, recent show at the very Joe’s Pub (read my boss, Stephen Mosher’s rave review Here) is a fab new single penned by the AH-DOOR-AH-BULL Brandon James Gwin titled IF YOU WANT MY APPLES. This new number is a call out to an older style of Broadway belting patterned after the gospel according to Jule Styne - GYPSY. 

Performance-wise, this is Michelle’s meat, and she savors every bite. Her well-trained baritone belt makes her a true singer of Musical Theatre/Musical Comedy. She understands what a real bump & grind number should be and belts it out wide and bright in her vocals to keep it nasty and fun. Have A Listen…

The story within the song is a stripper doing her act, singing about her “wholesome” parents who taught her to never give it away for free.. Her “apples” that is. It is all very akin to the character of Gypsy Rose Lee’s big LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU montage from GYPSY, showing her rise through Burlesque to stardom - very much mirroring Alexis’ slog up the drag ladder filled with passion, fun, and of course… TEARS! Her buddy Brandon’s lyrics are a double-entendre-filled naughty(ish) poem - very Old School Burlesques in that kitschy parody of the bad girl singing so innocently about mom & dad, and his music lands in that real Broadway of yesteryear pastiche. It gives the Bump & Grind of GYPSY, but with beats that beg for tap shoes. The band sound is a full strip club band of piano, drums, wah wah trumpets, and brass. You can’t help but tap your foot to this one, and Bobby’s foot was a tappin'. Alexis Michelle knows how to perform and really puts it over, whether she is singing or dragging it up on a lip synch…
 

In all, dear Bobby fans, we loved this new, old-fashioned song from two of our gayest rainbow creators, and if you love drag and the Broadway, we think you will love it too… and so, we give Alexis Michelle’s single, IF YOU WANT MY APPLES a hearty and heart-felt

4 Out Of 5 Rainbows. Put this in your queue today!

Check It Out On Your Spotifies: HERE

You Can Follow Alexis' InstaPictograms: HERE

You Can Tweet Her Twitters: HERE

Ande Followe On Ye Olde FaceBooke: HERE

Learn About The Lady’s Rise On Her Wikipedia: HERE

Bradon James Gwinn Has His webbysite: HERE

Photos By, STEPHEN MOSHER

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