WERS 88.9 fm - Album Review: Amanda Blank - I Love You

September 10^th, 2009

Three years ago, a single by Spank Rock featured the infectious vocals of a crass, clever and distinctive female rapper who rhymed, "I keep it dirty, not like Fergie / Ain't the Black Eyed Peas / this s*** ain't happy / I'm trashy, boastful b***h MC."

 This month saw the release of Amanda Blank's debut album, I Love You, a testament to how true that really is. She's got a stand-alone attitude, who embodies an element of street toughness, chic trendiness, and musical consciousness, all at once. Her first single, "Might Like You Better," completes its title phrase in the lyrics "…if we slept together." It continues Blank's shock appeal and captures her audacity to say what she wants. She's the kind of girl you go to when Lil Kim's mouth is just a little too clean for your liking, Beyonce's independence seems too weak, and Lady Gaga is just too ladylike to pack enough punch.

 Not only are the lyrics blasted at you with cockiness, but the album's production mimics that in-your-face attitude as well. In a style that is typical of the ghettotech genre (and subgenres) which they founded – indie mavericks like Diplo, Switch and XXXChange all try their hand at the most hardcore beats they can offer. It's a sound that stays true to her career thus far, and even truer to the genre she comes from. Since he's been around, Diplo and his crew have strived to make paramount staples out of an urban, hipster cultural undercurrent and Blank is just the latest icon amidst a team of musical mobsters that continue to outdo themselves.

 Along with the daring first single come other pounding and abrasive declarations like "Something Bigger, Something Better," "Lemme Get Some," and "Gimme What You Got," a momentous collaboration with Spank Rock that won't let you forget she's the "hottest motherf****r on the whole damn block…"and prides the attitude that sets her apart.

 Other tracks, like her collaboration with soft-spoken indie-songstress, Lykke Li, "Leaving You Behind," and "A Love Song," offer some relieving contrast. On these, she even offers her hand at more formal singing – and it's the most sensible F-bomb you've ever heard sung. But it's this glimpse at some semblance of a sensitive side that allows us to laugh off the rest of the album, confident that for those who get it: it's all just for show. Perhaps that's the point behind it all. Rather than over-analyzing the purpose and intent of the music, there's a certain conscious aloofness that allows you to just enjoy its lunacy. For any critics who might think otherwise, Amanda's answer is clear: "you call me kitsch / I do it for the kids, and designer drugs – we're so goddamn rich!"

 Right now it seems Amanda Blank has got her finger on the pulse. She's doing her thing and no one else's. Together her lyrics, her sound, and her persona are paving the way for the homecoming of a modern-day ghetto princess – and she won't arrive quietly.

 -Chris Scherer