In 1997, having already made his Broadway debut, performing arts polymath
Billy Porter released a self-titled album of smooth R&B that he has since noted deliberately hid his queerness. Over the next 25 years he maintained a presence on Broadway and released a trio of soul-styled, Broadway-themed albums. In the 2010s, he became a Tony- and Emmy-winning queer icon with his roles in Broadway's Kinky Boots and on TV's Pose. With
Porter describing it as not only a celebration of life but a lifetime in the making, 2023's
Black Mona Lisa finds him at last expressing his authentic self on record with a series of reflections and affirmations drawing on his life experience, shifting outlook, and growing sense of empowerment. These take the form of old-school disco, house, and funk anthems (and the occasional ballad) penned with help from Grammy-winning non-binary songwriter
Justin Tranter (
Lady Gaga,
Justin Bieber,
Ariana Grande). "Broke a Sweat" sets the click track to 120 bpm and gets things going with a kiss-off to those who would push him into the background ("Clipped wings can grow back with good intentions/I'm tired of asking for their permission"). Next up, the Billboard-charting, "Lady Marmalade"-esque "Children" lights a fire under the younger generation ("Been there, done that, worn that dress"), and the strutting, half-rapped "Black Mona Lisa" employs a horn section to help demand his worth. Mixed in with these more celebratory, even preening moments are earnest sentiments concerning hard-won opportunity, expression, and transformation. It's these songs, including "Not Ashamed" and the soaring piano ballad "Audacity," that earn the cathartic release of the rest, including the closing reworking of "Children," "Children (What Time It Is)," a triumphant duet with the album's sole guest vocalist,
Lady Blackbird. ~ Marcy Donelson
![V Layover' 1 [Barnes & Noble Exclusive]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0196922462474_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "V Layover' 1 [Barnes & Noble Exclusive]")
