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Arriving just a few months after his memoir, Boys Keep Swinging, Jake Shears' self-titled solo debut album paints a picture of his post-Scissor Sisters life that's just as vivid as his book's stories of New York's subversive nightlife and queer culture in the 2000s. Jake Shears isn't just a continuation of that band's music, however. After a devastating 2015 breakup with director Chris Moukarbel, Shears moved to New Orleans, where Allen Toussaint's memorial service provided the catalyst for his creative rebirth. The Big Easy's influence on Jake Shears is unmistakable: the louche, winking "Big Bushy Mustache" borrows a bit of Dr. John's gritty keyboards, while the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Sturgill Simpson's horn section bring the city's rousing brass to songs such as "The Bruiser, " a mournful and boisterous standout that could be a New Orleans funeral for Shears' former life.