September 1st, 2009

Album to look for: "I Love You"

Genre(s): Dirty Rap/Electro-Hop

City of Origin: Philadelphia, PA

Record Label: Downtown Records

Myspace Page: Click Here

There's a lot to be jealous about when it comes to "the city of brotherly love," Philadelphia, PA, if you really sit down and think about it (especially if you live in a nowhere-ass place like Columbia, SC -- like I do, lol).

I mean, those bastards got everything -- the Philly Cheese Steak in all of it's greasy brown paper bag glory, an acclaimed NFL team (sans the newly added Michael Vick) in the Eagles, the damn Liberty Bell, a big shout out in the iconic theme song of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and now they can add the libidinous female artist, Amanda Blank, to their trophy case.

Bartender -- more haterade, please.

If you've never heard of Blank, who's real name is Amanda Mallory, you may have without even knowing it over the last few years. She's running mates with fellow Philly-rooted acts Sweetheart and Spank Rock, the latter of whom has had music in popular next-gen video games like Need For Speed: Carbon ("What It Look Like"), Madden NFL 07 ("Backyard Betty") and, more recently, NBA 2k9 (an instrumental rendition of "Loose").

If you've played those titles and remember those joints, you sort of have an idea of what you're getting yourself into with her 2009 solo debut LP on Downtown Records named "I Love You". If not, well, I can almost guarantee with 100% fervor that Amanda Blank is unlike anything you'll hear on mainstream radio or see in a music video not only in 2009/2010, but for long while to come.

Why? Simply because you certainly wouldn't expect a skinny white girl to be in a hardcore sub-genre of hip-hop called "Dirty Rap". Popularized in the Baltimore club scene, this niche deals with talking about, as you might have guessed already, overly raunchy and blatantly risqué sexual acts. If Blank couldn't deliver on the goods on the microphone, she'd no doubt come across to a new listener as whack or gimmicky, but the funny thing is that she's actually great!

You can't find many artists, male or female, who can effectively switch from spitting rhymes to singing well on the drop of the dime. I dare say she's the most refreshing thing I've heard since Drake, but the only difference being she's not associated with a failure at life and attention whore named Lil' Wayne who will make you look hella stupid on television; so I like her...

But speaking of Drake, or as I like to refer to him as, "Wheels," two of the artists who appeared on his record setting mixtape, "So Far Gone," Santigold ("Unstoppable") and Lykke Li ("Lil' Bit") appear on Amanda's album, which is good because those two made Jimmy (Degrassi reference) more digestable for me since I was hating on him strong, LOL.

But anyways, Blank's lead single, "Might Like You Better" (video above) is true to the genre she represents with lyrics such as "I might like you better, if we slept together," "Might like you better, baby / lets get together, baby / Wanna hold you, get to know you / Show you what I got in my sweater, baby," and of course can't forget this one -- "Grind me, try me, watch me finish / I like you better if you get up in it" . I have yet to hear this on the radio, since I never listen to it, but I'm sure the editied version will be completely butchered due to the amount of cuss words and sexual innuendo. Still, it's a catchy song -- even if she is talking about behaving like a slut basket.

"I Love You" is getting rave reviews so far from critics and fans alike. At the time of writing, I have yet to hear the entire album, but what I have heard is well done and really worth a full spin. I definitely would recommend buying her debut. I don't care if you buy the physical CD, hit up iTunes, or Zune Marketplace, support new artists! But if you do so, keep in consideration you can also buy it though PL Shop, right at this link.

For more Amanda Blank, check out her official Myspace page here.