Skin is back!I am so excited about the return of Skunk Anansie. Famously dubbing themselves as 'an amalgam of heavy metal and black feminist rage,' the band had huge success in the late nineties and early noughties before paling into music history. Lead singer, Skin, was that brand of rock-band front-woman who would probably smack you in the face just to be seen as one of the guys. Remember 'Hedonism (Just because it feels good)' and 'Brazen'? Well, fully re-formed and rocking, Skunk Anansie is back, and their new album is a wild ride.
Opening track, 'God Loves Only You,' is certainly a though-provoking song, switching between gentle vocals and huge rocking riffs. Next up is 'My Ugly Boy' which has an old-school brit-pop feel about it. It's the first single, to be released this month, and will definately do well in the charts. 'Over the Love' showcases Skin's delightfully expressive voice - another big anthem that is bound to do well. In fact, there's not a single song on this album which doesn't show off the front-woman's singing ability. It's gravelly, pissed off, tender and joyful all in one. 'You're Too Expensive for Me' borrows from recent brit-rock a little too much for my liking. But the album is redeemed by 'You Can't Always Do What You Like,' which seems to sound like an angry Annie Lennox. The album also offers radio-friendly tunes like 'Feeling the Itch' and the ballad 'You Saved Me.'
All in all, this is a great come-back for this band. Die-hard fans will probably be disappointed by the lack of mosh-tastic, dandruff showering heavy rock anthems, but I think it shows a matured band who have thought seriously about what they want to achieve. All the best to them, I say.
Standout tracks - Over the Love, My Ugly Boy, You Can't Always Do What You Like
My Rating - *** 3/5 stars
Recommendation: Give it a listen. You better listen to the back catalogue, too, if you don't know them!
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