Kristian Hoffman's initial claim to fame was as one of the Mumps, a band that featured reality TV's first fruit, late singer Lance Loud. As & attests, the out musician has kept himself in good company. He duets with pals like gay Mexican singer El Vez, Rufus Wainwright, and Ann Magnuson, yet the spotlight remains on the songs of a man who can rhyme 'Paris vogue' with 'faux rogue.' No automated arrangements or artless anger for this ardent aesthete. Bouquets of whimsical doubt adorn merrily melancholy melodies. Hoffman may have bloomed late, but these cunning collaborations compensate for a life spent overshadowed by his peers' moments in the limelight.

- Barry Walters