On her ebullient third studio album, 2020's
Barbara, drag superstar
Trixie Mattel (aka
Brian Firkus) expands her folk and country approach with electrified tracks that evoke beachy '60s pop and dance music. The LP follows her two Top 20 Billboard Folk albums: 2017's Two Birds and 2018's
One Stone. Those records showcased the RuPaul's Drag Race alum's deft songwriting skills, steeped in her love of intimate acoustic folk. It was a sound that contrasted nicely with her glammy, over-the-top drag and standup comedy image, and one she still represents nicely here. However, while there are still plenty of intimate moments on
Barbara,
Mattel juxtaposes them with more robustly produced tracks. Foremost is the hooky "Malibu," a sparkling guitar-pop anthem that wouldn't sound out of place on a
Sheryl Crow album. Equally infectious is the groovy "We Got the Look," which brings to mind the new wave dance club swagger of
the B-52s. Part of
Mattel's charm is her knack for tongue-in-cheek lyrics, as on the wry,
Fountains of Wayne-sounding "Girl Next Door." She sings, "If you're ever feeling bored/I just moved in, I'm the girl next door/I'd like to have you on my hardwood floor." Or, as in the quirky "Jesse Jesse," where she crafts an out-of-left-field ode to actor Jesse Eisenberg that never feels anything but genuine. She highlights that genuine, homespun quality elsewhere, as on as on the mandolin-accented "I Don't Have a Broken Heart," and the sweetly harmonized "I Do Like You." Though
Mattel is recognized for her hyper-stylized wigs, makeup, and glitzy outfits, at her core she's an earnest singer/songwriter, and deeply felt emotions are never far below her wildly manicured surface. ~ Matt Collar