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Miss
Black America, the very name brings back so many emotions that it's like
a real jolt to the system. Everyone from Rocksound to Kerrang have
hailed this band as ones to not only watch, but get out there and sell
your soul for.
Indeed I first came across this particular band when they were
supporting Sigue Sigue Sputnik way back in the Summer of 2001 (I kid you
not). Before that night fateful night I'd never heard the name
Miss Black America before, and had absolutely no idea who they were,
where they hailed from, or even what sex they were! However, after
seeing them perform live that night I was so absolutely captivated by
this band and their music I followed them to every gig they did in the
North East of England for the years that followed.
They were young, exciting, full on conviction, and gave one hell of a
live performance. I watched the band go from strength to strength
and their fan base increase to breathtaking numbers in next to no time.
Indeed it wasn't long before the big boy mags started to sit up and take
notice of this band and it's music.
And then it happened, I'm not sure what exactly went on behind the
scenes but suddenly this band I'd love so much and followed their every
step changed so dramatically overnight it was like invasion of the body
snatchers. The last time I saw the band was when they played at a
venue down on the Quayside in Newcastle Upon Tyne. By this time
they'd reached meteoric levels and the venue was packed with faces I'd
never seen before. They came on and did their gig but it wasn't
the band I'd come to know and love so much. Something had changed,
something that ultimately led to the implode of the band shortly
afterwards.
The band had always been passionate about their beliefs and their music,
indeed lead singer Seymour Glass was infamous for being forthright and
outspoken on the subjects he held close to his heart. They were
young, they rose to levels many bands can only dream of, but then they
seemed to start believing their own publicity and the bands whole
persona changed into something that I no longer found attractive.
These changes were so dramatic and seemed from a fans point of view to
be so sudden that I decided at that point that would be the last time I
would go to see the band. I felt they'd sold out and forgot their
roots. The very things I found so attractive in the band in their
earlier days had disappeared and been replaced by something ugly which
left a bad taste in the mouth.
So when this CD landed on my desk my heart both leapt with joy and fell
with sadness at the same time. Gone are 3/4th's of the original
band with only the singer Seymour left from the original line-up.
When I first slipped this CD into my player my spirits rose when I heard
the first song 'Terminal One' which is really just a short instrumental
track. However, when track 2 'Dot Dot Dot' came on, quickly
followed by 'Drowning By Numbers', my joy quickly dropped. I can't
put my finger on why because the songs themselves are well constructed,
catchy and well produced. But there was something about them that
didn't light my fire.
It wasn't until 'Reborn' came on that I started to find my comfort zone
again. Indeed this song is so beautiful it made my eyes well up
with tears. Now this is the Miss Black America I recognise from
old. This is the band that raised my spirits so much with their
live shows and soul searching lyrics. From this song onwards I
felt whole again. If you are a fan of old like myself then zip to
this song first, it's gorgeous. New fans who don't have tainted
memories will love the album as a whole. For me though it's only
from 'Reborn' onwards that this album truly comes into it's own.
3/4th's of the band have been replaced from the original line up and I'm
happy to say these new guys seem to do pretty much what is needed to
give the songs the depth and emotion they demand. It's not hard to
understand why the 'popular' media find this band so endearing, they are
still young, still full of passion in the things they believe in, and
have a tendency to look at the world with contempt and disgust.
I'm sure there's hundreds of mixed up young students out their living in
hovels that will relate to the things this band rave about.
Although I appreciate their music and wish them well in what they do, I
think I've outgrown them. Perhaps the rose tinted spectacles they
fought so hard to knock from our faces have indeed been removed from my
face. Not only do I not view the world in quite the same way I did
before, but I don't view this band quite so rosily either.
However, the fact remains that this is a quality offering and for the
mere £5 it's being sold for it is well worth the money. Indeed
'Reborn' alone in my eyes is worth the price and that's saying something
as I'm as tight as they get when it comes to parting with my hard earned
cash. If you haven't come across this band before then part with
your fiver and play the game of love or hate. Because this is a
band you're going to either love or hate, there's simply no middle
ground with them. What's the worst that can happen, you'll either
find some songs you adore, or you'll be flogging it to your local second
hand store after a couple of listens. There's 13 tracks to choose
from, I'm sure you'll find at least one or two that will make it's cost
worthwhile.
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