Because Amanda Blank’s hyperbolic narratives of copulation have made the blogosphere’s wet toes tingle and considering her close-affiliation with nymphomania-connoisseurs Spank Rock, one may feel inclined to close their blinds before listening to the Philladelphia Philly’s debut I Love You.
Amanda Blank indeed slides through her fair share of risque territory on bangers like “Might Like You Better” or the dub-oozing “Something Bigger, Something Better.” However, while carnal lust is certainly fulfilled on the album, the harsh realities, which begin the morning after said-tracks, which subsequently sprout into the lonely consequences of satiating solely the flesh and not the aorta, are also pounced upon in Blank’s stampeding rhymes: as a foul-mouthed, attractive, caucasian, rapping daughter of a college professor, who has said she wants her music to be primarily enjoyed by young girls and gay men, Blank embodies absurd irony: with that in mind, it may seem odd that the title, I Love You, is not a clandestine thesis for the record. This dynamic shines through on the almost unbelievably straight-forward “A Love Song” which is begging to be shifted into a subversion of LL Cool J’s classic hip-hop ballad “I Need Love” but amazingly, it never deconstructs anything: it is literally a song about craving metaphysical connection with a soulmate. Similarly, over New Wave synths, “Shame On Me” hears Amanda set aside her rapid-fire rhymes to soulfully expel regress with PJ Harvey-like confidence. Nonetheless, whether it’s the heart, soul or ovaries that are dictating the desires on I Love You’s songs, always lurking under Amanda Blank’s flow are Diplo’s exotically growling beats, which remain sweaty, fast-paced and aggressive throughout the Philly rapper/singer’s first full-length. In fact, Diplo’s production is so assertively audible, it often nearly drowns Ms. Blank’s unexpected pleas for emotional fulfillment. But, it’s the challenge of hearing Amanda claw her way through relentless electro barrages in an effort to deliver her heartfelt lyrics, that makes tracks like “DJ” or the melancholy “Leaving You Behind” (which is assisted by Lykke Li’s haunting vocals) some of the most unexpectedly personable material to come out of Diplo’s party-centric clique.

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