Gene Dante is the master of the dichotomy. He is both a musician and an actor; a songwriter, with his mind drawn inward, and a performer, with his energy focused outward. The music he creates is both flamboyantly glamorous and strikingly gritty. It resonates with the sparkle of glitter and the rawness of the gutter. It is both class and trash, edge and polish, emotional and entertainment.

The juxtaposition of such predilections should not be surprising since Gene, who got into rock listening to groups like Queen and Kiss as a kid, has walked the line between theater and music throughout his career, often fusing the two interests to work to his advantage.

The latest incarnation of the Starlets, which came together in 2007, reveals, as Gene says, that he’s “the luckiest guy in town,” pulling together a group of musicians able to fully realize the song Gene has written. With the help of drummer Tamora Gooding, bassist Jim Collins, and guitarist Scott Patalano, (formerly of renowned group Mistle Thrush), Gene’s engaging songs are fleshed out into the complex, compelling tracks they have recorded with longtime industry A&R exec and record producer Peter Lubin for the Starlets new album, The Romantic Lead. The album was recorded and mixed at Q Division in Somerville, MA with engineer Jon Lupfer manning the board and was released by Omnirox Entertainment on January 27, 2009.

Dante and his Starlets create songs ready to be translated onto the stage with equal amounts of theatrical fervor and an adamant concern for songcraft. “I believe in being a good entertainer and a good artist,” Gene says. “I take my cues from the old school but that doesn’t mean I’m a throwback.”

Or maybe he’s both a throwback and a leader of a new wave. Not a bad dichotomy to master.