Artist Black Blondie

The name Black Blondie implies a lot: A mixing of cultures, an aesthetic juxtaposition, and a playful sense of self-awareness. Fittingly, the group's 2009 debut album, Do You Remember Who You Wanted To Be, cycles through jazz, funk, hip-hop, soul, and pop. It’s a masterful mixture, consolidated and controlled. From an emotional standpoint, these are often purposefully sour songs, written in minor and diminished keys with lyrical content that’s equally sullen—“I love you not for the buzz, but for the taste of strychnine,” sings Samahra Daly on "For The Taste." But then there are the sweet spots. A melodious riff in the otherwise bitter “Hunger,” for instance, is pure candy. These moments act as acoustic peroxide, frosting the top of a dark body of music, and making Do You Remember irresistible.

Updated 12/08/2009