Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be 50 Essential Albums by LGBTQ Artists, representing a varied cross-section of genres, styles and time periods. Considering that the qualifier “LGBTQ” can often be open to various interpretations, for the purposes of this particular list, we have defined an artist as LGBTQ if he, she or they have ever publicly identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer. Moreover, albums by groups have been included in the list if any of their members fit the aforementioned criteria, even if some members do not.
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WENDY & LISA | Eroica
Virgin (1990)
Selected by Quentin Harrison
Following Wendy & Lisa (1987) and Fruit at the Bottom (1989), the dynamic duo Wendy (Melvoin) and Lisa (Coleman)—formerly of Prince and The Revolution fame—found themselves ready to roam on their third album, Eroica; the long player’s name was derived from the Latin female designation for “heroic.”
In the liner notes for its 2017 reissue, Coleman described their mindset when they went into draft the project, “Express yourself as you really are and then whatever success you have, whatever connection you make is going to be all that more solid because it’s based in reality and not some trendy compromise. So, we decided to stop making records and singing words that weren’t real.”
A lively mélange of funk, rock, blues, pop and jazz that had Wendy and Lisa flexing as writers, players and producers, their veneration of Venusian values sing out loudly on “Strung Out,” “Skeleton Key” and “Staring at the Sun.”
LISTEN:
