Gay Pride Anthem 2013?

With Memorial Day weekend nigh, Gay Pride events will be launched, lasting through the month of June. And what will the club anthems be on the floats, decks and dancefloors this year? Who will our Pride 2013 divas be?

Christina Aguilera's strong pipes send "Let There Be Love" up the charts. It is #2 on Billboard's Dance/Club and looks bound for #1 next week despite its less-than-memorable melody.  The very same criticism can be said about dance mixes of Kelly Clarkson's club charter, "People Like Us." The tune is meant to be anthemic, yet all that really registers is its hook. There is something cold and robotic about this "anthem," too. Kelly's vocals are strong but punched across without much genuine feeling; a technical exercise.

Sometimes, it's all in the remix. Chris Cox works wonders with Kat Deluna's "Stars," letting the young diva's vocals skim above the haunting electronica that's sure to draw you to the dancefloor. The disco-influenced Jump Smokers remix of Rod Stewart's "Sexual Religion" also brings that '70s "diva" back to the limelight. Nice work, Jump Smokers! And people, do you want Rod's body? Still?

Celebrating 40 amazing years in the industry, Chaka Khan has a new release to drop just in time for Pride. And her new body's looking very sexy, indeed. "It's Not Over" is a well-written, soulful tune with a powerful hook that is bound to chart and make you want to move onto the dancefloor. Ralphi Rosario's remix is distinctly the cream of the crop. And, yes, when Chaka socks it to you, it's from the gut.

But the true club divas rule. Ultra Nate's latest tune, "Everybody Loves the Night" is a dancefloor-designed beauty produced and mixed by Brinsley Evans, RedTop, Bill Coleman and Count DeMoney with back-up vocals by Inaya Day, joe DNA, Lisa Molina, & Toni Seawright. Irresistible!

Inaya Day has her own new club song out, done with Dj Escape, "Make Some Noise!" And she does make noise. Beautifully. These are the divas who may dominate this year's Pride around the world. Check them out. And download. MP3s available from Amazon.com.

It's time to party!

Beaverhausen's Divas: Week in Focus

Happy Passover and Easter, everyone! Like Joan Rivers, I'm celebrating both Spring holidays by dying matzoh. And by looking back over this past week in divadom!

Yoko Ono, 80, continued her club diva reign as "Hold Me," redesigned by Dave Aude, rose to #3 on the Billboard Dance chart (and she appears to be upwardly mobile).  Crystal Waters' "Mama Say" (best club tune in months) is sitting pretty at #13, after claiming the #1 Dance/Club position two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Christina Aguilera's "Let There Be Love" nudged into the chart at #21, looking like it has legs fit for climbing.

Divas Mariah Carey and Lady Gaga had birthdays over the past week. And Ms Dionne Warwick is broke, owing the Feds USD$10 million! While most of us are envious because we wish we made enough to owe the IRS that kind of bread, Ms Warwick was at least able to become a tabloid darling, grabbing headlines once more.

Oh, la publicite! La publicite!

Divas on Top: This Week on Billboard

Florence Welch

This week's Billboard Dance/Club chart is a bore, frankly, except for the top four spots, and then at the bottom.

Florence Welch (of Florence + The Machine) sits atop the #1 throne this week with the Calvin Harris dance track, "Sweet Nothing." Love this song! "Your Body," the Chistina Aguilera number is now number two with the probability of ascending to the top spot next week. Rihanna's "Diamonds" glitters at #3 assisted by great remix work from Liam Keegan, Alessio Silvestro and Sharaf Moran.

Yoko Ono is still going strong as a vital club diva. She will turn 80 this February! So, it is very exciting to see her chart so highly and so well with the remixes of her latest dancefloor hit, "I'm Movin' On." She certainly is. God bless the queen!

Lenny Kravitz cracks the top 25 in the 25th place with "Superlove." Oh, yeah! Nelly Furtado at #22 with her new "Parking Lot." And, at #21, Paloma Faith is "Picking Up the Pieces."

Calling out around the world! Are you ready for a brand-new beat? Thanks to all the hits over the week from Serbia, India, Spain and Japan! And to increased hits from my friends in France, Canada, the UK, Indonesia, Russia and the US of A!

The Ralphi Rosario radio edit remix of Yoko below:

Divas, Divas Everywhere

Heartthrob Adam Lambert, himself a diva in the best sense, will be hosting this year's "VH1 Divas" show on December 16th. While tributes to both Donna Summer and Whitney Houston are planned, Dj Buddy B is rather underwhelmed by the rather doggy diva line-up set to perform.. They include Ciara, Jordan Sparks, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Kelly Rowland.

Yours truly is underwhelmed by the week's Billboard Dance/Club chart, too. Can you dig that South Korean singer/rapper PSY is # 3 with the novelty dance floor number, "Gangnam Style." I'm multi-culti and all that; however, I'll sit that one out at the disco, thanks. And, hey, waiter, bring me a mai tai. What ever happened to the Macarena and Los del Rio? Oh, and did I mention Taryn Manning's "Send Me Your Love" is this week's #1? Better make that drink a double.

Meanwhile, can you believe Kristine W peaked at # 4 and dropped to 6th place this week with the fabulous "Everything That I Got"? Waiter, another drinky-poo, please.

Other diva faves are upwardly mobile, though. A toast to the week's 8th through 10th chart positions. Nothing's stopping Yoko Ono from moving on, I'm happy to announce, with "I'm Moving On," as she occupies the # 8 spot after climbing to # 10 last week. This week's 10th spot belongs to Christina Aguilera with remixes of her sprightly new number, "Your Body," Buddy boasts.

At the bottom of the top 25, things are settling rather than rising with one fine exception. The band Matchbox Twenty (not to be confused with Haircut 100) soars from 31st place to # 23 with "She's So Mean," on a slew of fab remixes. Song's off their album, released in September, North, which is exactly where their single's pointed at the moment. 

Beyonce's "I Was Here" is still here, dropped to # 22 without ever having cracked the top 10. It peaked at 13. Ouch! Pet Shop Boys' "Winner" peaked at 12, now at # 24. And Pink's "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" rests on the bottom rung, # 25, a steep drop from last week's 8th spot. But it did, in fact, peak at #1.

Mariah Carey's "Triumphant," also a recent numero uno, slowly deflates. Was # 11 when we last looked; now at # 13. And where would we be these days without a Rihanna song on the Club chart? She's the Greatest Gainer, having made it up from # 35 the previous week with "Diamonds," and taking over the 18th place this go-round, where she smacks into Ke$ha, currently # 17 with "Die Young." No cheap, tasteless comment from me here, folks!

So until next week's chart, keep dancing to your favorite club dj, to the radio, to the music videos at your gym or bar or both, and wherever you find the music that moves you. This week's dj kisses out to Belgium, Turkey and the Netherlands for your record views of my blog. Four more years of Obama to celebrate, everybody, so peace, love, disco, over and out!

Billboard Shake-Up

It was sad to see Kathy Griffin's fabulous "I'll Say It" drop off the top 25 Billboard Dance/Club Chart this go-round, but good to see Florence Welch (of "+ the Machine") ascend to #14 (from #20 last week) on vocals for "Sweet Nothing" by Calvin Harris. While I love listening to Harris' extended version, it offers no intro for mixing into a set. For that purpose, I recommend the Tiesto remix.

Christina Aguilera leaped into the top 25 in a major way when her quite catchy but undistinguished "Your Body" made it from last week's #26 song to the #16th. I'll refrain from any Greatest Gainer comments.

Mariah Carey's "Triumphant" is still solid at #11, having peaked at numero uno. X Factor's Melanie Amaro is rising right behind, at #12, with "Don't Fail Me Now." And, at #13, we have Beyonce, losing wind and nudging up just one spot from last week, with "I Was Here." Yeah, you was.

Pet Shop Boys peaked at #12 with "Winner" on the US chart, though Kristine W is up at #4 with the fantastic, Bimbo Jones-produced floor-filler, "Everything That I Got." Meanwhile, Yoko Ono is "Moving On" to the number 10th place.

Let me tell you, I could eat up every part of a guy like Cheyenne Jackson in a New York minute (pictured at top)! But who couldn't? Tall, dark, handsome and out (but married). The Conaire remix of the Broadway crooner's "Drive" crossed my desk recently.  Unfortunately, it doesn't quite gel for the dance floor. Good song, but not a good mix. Unlikely to peak on Billboard or end up in my mix.

More on the dance floor musique and some more Billboard club jive soon. Love ~~ Dj Buddy B!

Memorial Day Mix

Happy Memorial Day to my American friends and to the world round. Here's an Andrew Sisters vs Christina Aguilera mix you can celebrate the holiday with! Have a good one!