Last week, in my column Hot Rocks, Pt. 1, I went through a list of the most talented contemporary musicians that also make me have to hold a book in front of my lap if I think about them while wearing sweat pants. As promised, this week I flipped the microscope over to the other end of the hot queer spectrum: the ladies. I’m obviously not a queer lady myself, nor do I claim to the expert on what you all like, but I know that I have never lost my appreciation for female beauty and the women on this list leave a lot to appreciate.

It goes without saying that legends like Tracy Chapman, Michelle N’degeocello, Claudia Gonson and Joan Armatrading (and many, many others) can make nipples hard by merely looking at them. So I decided to turn the light on a newer crop of queer lady musicians who are out, who make great music, and who are able to give scads of queer girls hope that their from-the-stands longings may someday be returned.

11. Kim Ann, Hercules and Love Affair:

Kim Ann, one of the several vocalists for disco/house revival collective Hercules and Love Affair, has such a dazzling case of cute boy syndrome that her appeal goes across the board. Though her press photos make her look like a scrappy butch, seeing her onstage is a revelation of how someone small can draw scads of eyes through mystique and a couple wayward glances towards her fans. Word has it that she’s no longer affiliated with HALA, so let’s all be eager to see where her career leads her.

For an example of her vocals, check out “Athene.”

10. Sia:

Best known for “Breathe Me,”  her soundtrack to the eternally tear-jerking final moments of Six Feet Under, the world’s cutest Aussie has also logged in time as a vocalist for Zero 7. She logged headlines last year, around the release of her CD, Some People Have Real Problems, with her extremely nonchalant coming out as bi. She’d never been shy about the fact, but gained brownie points with queers everywhere by making no big deal at all about her relationship with number five on this list. Some TNG readers may remember the day that queer indie bliss hit DC, as both performed shows at separate venues on the same night and ended it all with an extremely public makeout sesson at the Black Cat mainstage.

For an example of her music, check out “Buttons.”

9. Peaches:

Do you honestly think I could leave Peaches off this list? The contemporary queen of raunch, rocker of the “Jewish Chick Shtick,” she of the stage persona that falls somewhere between Betty Page and Richard Simmons? Someone that can barely get three lines into a song without mentioning that she is A) bi and B) looking for sex at all hours of the day? I missed her last DC show, but word on the street is that there was spraying of blood involved. That barely tops my memory of her last local performance, when layer after layer of skimpy clothing was stripped, leaving most of the concertgoers to wonder, “How could she possibly fit another layer under that skimpy thing?”

8. Tegan & Sarah:

I couldn’t resist using this picture. It was one of the cooler photo-ops of my entire life, and what I like to use to make every single queer lady jealous of the trip I took to Austin last fall. Beyond that, though, I can assure you that Canadian twins Tegan & Sarah Quinn have genuinely sunny personalities to back up all the songwriting skill. And they are unabashed about being out and proud about who they are. Considering the extensive teenage component of their fanbase, I think that the good they have done to impressionable minds, both queer and straight, will be immeasureable.

For an example of their music, check out “Back in Your Head.”

7. Khaela Maricich, The Blow:

Redefining the word adorable since 1998, Khaela Maricich and The Blow (now a solo act since Jonah Bechtolt decamped to YACHT) craft a beguiling live show that combines karaoke, performance art and Maricich’s ear-worming songs about puppy love and loss. She is the only artist I’ve ever seen who can start out a show by holding a water bottle, and craft it into an extended metaphor about storytelling that is by turns amusing, erotic and heartbreaking. The fact the she is also prone to making shout-outs to her girlfriend mid-set only makes her all the more heart-melting.

For an example of her music, check out “Parentheses.”

6. Beth Ditto, The Gossip:

Yes, Beth Ditto is plus-sized. But why does that one fact always seem to proceed any descriptions of her appearance and innate sexuality? There are a lot of different ways to be attractive and, yes, Beth gets points for being a widely-desired larger woman. But body type aside, her stage demeanor is colossal in ways that have only to do with her voice. The woman can shriek like Robert Plant when she needs to, and when she says she standing in the way of control you know, with utter certainty, that control doesn’t stand a chance.

For an example of her music, check out “Heavy Cross.”

5. JD Samson, MEN & Le Tigre

The woman, the myth, the mustache? An integral member of Le Tigre, and now her own group MEN, JD Samson’s ability to play with expectation of gender comes down, whether intentionally or not, to a small line of hair above her upper lip. I’ve learned the hard way not to make too big a deal out of it during interviews, but Samson’s musical skills plus unorthodox femininity makes the quintessential queer icon in the making. MEN is currently touring (yay!) but skipping DC (boo!). No word yet on what Sia is doing during all this.

For an example of her music, check out “TKO.”

4.The ladies of CSS, except for Love Foxx:

Brazilian rock group CSS (stands for Cansei der Ser Sexy, or “tired of being sexy”) is one of the best-kept queer secrets in contemporary music. Their songs are widely known, but it’s less common knowledge that they are all a bunch of homos. That is, they are all a bunch of homos except for their Bjork-inspired lead singer Love Foxx, who likes the men but still tries to model her stage self after a Divine-esque drag queen. The other woman wale on their chosen instruments and aren’t hard to look at. Rumor even has it that two of them might be a couple, but so far no official word has been given.

3. Molly Siegel, Ponytail:

Vocalist of Baltimore experimental rock band Ponytail, (and occasional TNG columnist,) Molly Siegel doesn’t really sound like anyone else out there. Their beach blanket bingo guitar/drum combo kicks in at an already-frantic pace, and is somehow dominated by Molly’s vocal acrobatics. Sounding like an operatic dolphin being attacked by bats in the secret cave under Quincey Jones’ recording studio, she ties the whole sound together in a jagged package and gets hearts fluttering, all at the same time.

For an example of her music, check out “Celebrate the Body Electric.”

2. Shunda K, Yo! Majesty:

If you’re into compelling backstories, you might want to put on your pajamas and get some popcorn before reading about Dance-hopper Shunda K. Without getting into too many of the details, she came out to to her family at the age of 18, but couldn’t take the pressures of being out and married a christian preacher in 2003. She soon dumped him and, after too many dalliances with “Straight up hos,”  made a vow to god that she would remain celebate until Jan. 1st, 2006, unless she met her dream girl beforehand. Oddly enough, she did and has been with the woman since. Hallmark stories aside, Shunda also has been blessed with lighting fast rhyming skills and a gift for giggle-inspiring song titles like “Kryptonite Pussy.”

For an example of her music, check out  ”Don’t Let Go.”

1. Nomi, Hercules and Love Affair:

If you’ve ever seen Hercules and Love Affair, you were probably struck with the fact that their transwoman vocalist Nomi Ruiz is quite possibly the beautiful woman in America. Her superhero body, giraffe legs and alluring mouth nearly (but just nearly) overshadow her ability to carry a live band. Dance moves and costume changes were shown, but more than anything was her stunning ability to carry the vocals on “Blind,” a song originaly sung by Antony Hegarty. Rumor also has it that she’s no longer affiliated with Hercules and co., but this is one solo career I’ll be eager to cover.