The diva testifies: gender bender Kevin Aviance talks about dipping into both dance music and gospel.

"I always been as this big dark drama queen," Kevin Aviance says with a giggle. "And that can be scary to some people. But I've also always had the church in me too. I love having the chance to show this side of myself ... and to get the children to testify with me."

On a dance floor crowded with drag performers who are preening either with feminine realness or clownish flamboyance, Aviance is a unique creature. A longtime fixture along New York's underground club circuit, the androgynous artist delights in wrapping himself in makeup and rhythms that are more animalistic than gender-driven. He has further distinguished himself by weaving infusing chants and rants that range from politically irreverent to seethingly sexual. On his sophomore recording, Entity (Emerge Records), he ups the ante by adding a pinch of gospel warm to the equation.

Working with such clubland mainstays as Tony Moran. Gomi, and Warren Rigg, Aviance bathes in vibrant house rhythms that are more uplifting and spiritual than his previous efforts. As a result, hands-in-da-air anthems like "Give It Up," "Power," and "Alive" are primed to lure a wider audience to the party.

Entity also has a healthy dose of the edgy vibe that has become Aviance's signature. "It's important to be true to my roots," he says. "The truth is that I'm not coming with anything that's brand new as much as I'm coming with a part of myself that has always been inside me. I can be outrageous, and I can be spiritual. I'm counting on other people being the same way. The way I see it, there's enough room at the party for everything and everyone, darling."