Rainbow Ruckus 1/13: Elly Kace, Joy Oladokun, Mila Jam, and More!

Every week, Rainbow Rodeo brings you the best new queer country music! Listen to this playlist on Tidal! Thanks to Elliott for making a parallel list on Apple Music! Missed a week? TA Inskeep is generously keeping an archive of all music featured on this Spotify playlist.

Please note: we are no longer updating our Spotify playlist.

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• Elly Kace brings us home with "Pink Sky." The Brooklyn-based sound healer provides the first hint of her upcoming album The Seventh Gate with this immersive song of forgiveness and letting one's burdens down. Kace's resonant voice would be enough to heal all wounds, but the enveloping music makes this a headphone listen for sure.

• Semler gifts us with an ode to pro wrestler Chyna. The soft-spoken lyrics pay tribute to Chyna's insistence on being nothing other than herself no matter everything that had been thrown her way.

• Joy Oladokun reprises her potent song "I'd Miss the Birds," giving it an acoustic sheen and a helluva duet partner in Sheryl Crow. The song expresses Oladokun's misgivings with Nashville – and understanding when it's time to go. Crow's rasp and world-weary approach to the song adds an extra level of heartbreak.

• Chris Housman guests on Mila Jam's country pop "Better Than Me." Sometimes you just need a song that makes the agony of heartbreak absolutely delectable, and Jam's transitions between distorted guitar crunch and acoustic sincerity give "Better Than Me" a Y2K edge. The pair form a fine duet that make "Better Than Me" radio-friendly perfection.

• Released on Transgender Day of Remembrance, CJ Lawrence gives full vent to the grief this day has come to represent in "Boys Don't Cry." Lawrence recounts learning about an attempted shooting at a gay bar in Colorado, and the impact of constantly being bombarded by news just like this.

Find our Tidal playlist here: