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Amanda Blank with special guest Spank Rock
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Electric Pickle, Miami
Better than: That other white faux hipster hop singer Ke$ha.
She may be just some white girl from Philly, but Amanda Blank has been doing her thing since 2005. Her rhyming skills come naturally, never sounding forced or phony. She’s got an X-rated mouth that’s a mix between Peaches and Lil’ Kim, but is still recognizably her own artist. Her performance Saturday at Electric Pickle in Miami proved she’s only started to really show us what she’s capable of.
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Blank is no stranger to Miami, having played at many a Poplife party and more recently opened for Ebony Bones during Art Basel Miami Beach’s Art Loves Music concert in December. While I didn’t personally witness her performance at Art Loves Music, word was she stood her own opening for Bones. So it’s not surprising the small stage set up in the back patio of Electric Pickle could hardly contain Blank’s energy.
Blank came out en regalia, slowly peeling off layers during her performance. Opening with what she dubbed the obligatory “love song,” Blank mashed up her track “Something Bigger, Something Better” with melancholic intro begging her lover to stay. With the sentimentality quickly out of the way, her set focused heavily on songs from her debut, I Love You.
She called out for the “homos” when she kicked into her cover of Prince’s “Make-Up.” The song, which goes “Blush / Eyeliner / Hush / See what you made me do? / Base / Mascara / Erase / I wanna look good for you,” isn’t exactly one of Prince’s best, and sorry to say Blank doesn’t really improve on it.
Original tracks like “Might Like You Better,” “DJ,” and “Make It Take It,” are really where she showed that she’s better suited for slow jams or when quickly spitting rhymes.
When Spank Rock joined her for the second half of her performance, Blank’s energy only seemed to further increase. The duo churned out superb renditions of “A Love Song,” which samples Santigold’s “I’m A Lady,” and the 2 Live Crew-inspired Spank Rock track “Loose.”
Critic’s Notebook
Personal Bias: I love hearing white girls rap — it’s true. I blame the “Top That” scene in Teen Witch.
Random Detail: To the girl repeatedly screaming “Amanda, I love you,” in my ear, thank you, you’ve caused permanent hearing damage. I think she heard you the first 50 times.
By the Way: In other white girl rap news, Uffie is scheduled to make several appearances during Winter Music Conference. More details to come.
