In 2009, celebrity makeup artist, model, DJ, fashion designer, and all-around Internet phenomenon Jeffree Star took the next logical step in the career trajectory of a burgeoning multimedia icon and released a full-length CD. The flamboyant, outlandishly attired transvestite attention-seeker got his start as a club kid, so it makes sense that his music should reflect his roots; Beauty Killer is a fun, no-frills dance-pop record filled with throbbing house beats, Auto-Tuned vocals, and super-catchy, sexually charged novelty lyrics. As a vocalist, Star has an appealing, unadorned David Gahan-esque (Depeche Mode) style that was a welcome respite from the vocal gymnastics of popular “real” pop singers upon the album’s release. At his core, Star is a classic professional provocateur, as titles such as “Fame & Riches, Rehab Bitches” and “Love Rhymes with Fuck You” make clear. Throughout, his lyrics employ all manner of slang of the day to both celebrate and lampoon the basest sectors of pop culture. In the end, though, Star is clearly all-inclusive, making Beauty Killer a harmlessly naughty guilty pleasure. – Pemberton Roach
more »