release date: Sep. 18, 1995
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Sylvia Massy, Skunk Anansie
label: Virgin Records - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Selling Jesus" - 2. "Intellectualise My Blackness" - 3. "I Can Dream" - 4. "Little Baby Swastikkka" - 6. "Charity" - 8. "Weak" (4 / 5) - 10. "100 Ways to Be a Good Girl" - 11. "Rise Up"
Studio album debut by London-based alt. rock quartet Skunk Anansie consisting of lead vocalist and primary songwriter Skin (aka Deborah Ann Dyer), guitarist Martin 'Ace' Kent, bassist Richard 'Cass' Lewis, and drummer Robbie France, who is a founding member and he is credited on the album but he was replaced by Mark Richardson already in Aug. '95 - before the release of the album and consequently neither of the two feature on the front cover [France left Skunk Anansie to join German band Alphaville]. The band initially released three studio albums from '95 to '99 and split in 2001 after which lead vocalist Skin initiated a (short-lived) solo career and the band reunited in 2009, after, which it has performed and released new material since then.
On Paranoid & Sunburnt the band plays a hard rock-styled alt. rock that took its offspring in punk rock and grunge rock in a combination with more traditional hard rock. It's made with an attitude and energy that reminds me of bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Therapy?, Garbage, Faith No More, Stone Temple Pilots but Skunk Anansie has always taken a particular spot as strongly political and critical when speaking lyrical content, and that's also something that made it dificult for the band to get enough airplay and invitaions for certain festivals.
The album was preceded by the first single release of "Little Baby Swastikkka", which was mostly overlooked by critics, fans and radio stations. The next single "Selling Jesus" was released in Mar. '95 and it basically paved the way for an overwhelming interest in the forthcoming debut with its single chart position as Number 46, and although that song - together with track "2 (which wasn't released on single) - may have been the most vital for the band, the three following singles from the album "I Can Dream", "Charity", and "Weak" all charted better - with the final "Weak" charting as high as Number 20.
Paranoid & Sunburnt is a fine album, although, I do find it somewhat uneven. The great songs are still really great, though.
Recommended.
[ 👎allmusic.com, The Guardian, Select 3 / 5, NME 4 / 5 stars ]
