Skunk Anansie’s latest album, The Painful Truth, marks the return of the British band after a nine-year hiatus. I followed the band since their very first single, and I consider myself a fan as I saw the band live a few times, (once in the 90s, it was one of my first concerts). But let's go to the present day, and honestly, I have to say I don't really like this new album (as I didn't like their latest album, Anarchytecture) at all.
Produced by David Sitek, the album is too modern and not much rock for my standards. The opening track, An Artist Is An Artist is quite original and a good compromise between "old" and "new" (despite being a little too wordy for my taste), but most of the other tracks don't really fit with the past of the band band, despite being well performed and produced.
There are not many moments I liked in this album. I can mention them all: the very beginning of Lost and Found (Skin's voice is beautiful!), the Indie rock mood of Cheers (the best song on the album by far, in my opinion), the electro-reggae-punk vibes of Shoulda Been You (very original) and the relaxed vibes of the last track Meltdown.
Maybe I'm not very flexible and I'm getting old, but the painful truth is that The Painful Truth is to me their worst album. At least, this is not the Skunk Anansie I like.
Rating 49/100Top tracks: Cheers, Shoulda Been You
Skip tracks: This is not your life, My Greatest Moment.