Back when disco ruled the world, or at least the part that wanted to move, Sylvester held it down as king/queen of the clubs. You can bask in that unfettered passion on his biggest, most enduring smash, "(You Make Me Feel) Mighty Real." A joyously pulsating anthem, brimming with squiggly space age synths and sky-high testifying, the track, like much of Sylvester's sadly limited catalogue (he died in 1988) preaches a sermon of compassion and community.

Even if you can't dance, it's hard to deny Sylvester's emotionality. Witness the lesser-known "Sell My Soul." Anchored by a funked-up bass line and infused with a blend of gospel and jazz, "Sell My Soul" ratchets down the BPMs but is no less of an adrenaline rush. Perhaps because Sylvester was dismissed by some as "just" a disco singer, these slower songs are a revelation. He throws his all into covers of "Oooh Baby Baby" and "Cry Me a River," the latter rocking out with barrelhouse piano, stinging guitars and full-throated growling vocals.

Openly gay at a time when that was unheard of, Sylvester let fly with a galvanizing, this-close-to-feminine falsetto that was the battle cry of liberation and release — both on and off the… read more »