Strickland Banks, known as Plan B, is a British singer and actor. He has explained that the reason behind his stage name is that he originally intended to do commercial R&B, but was not comfortable in the genre. So he changed his style, added some hip hop and rap, and this time he was successful. Hence, Plan B. It has a unique sound, which has been labeled Eminem meets Damien Rice. Its lyrical content touches on intense themes such as drugs, rape, murder, and sex with minors.
The Defamation of Strickland Banks is their second studio release and reached # 1 on the UK Albums Chart. The cover depicts an ancient theater, the kind in which individual letters are manually placed on the sign. This is appropriate since the album tells a story from the first track to the last, and the album title says it all.
The beginning of the story begins with a love song, Love Goes Down, which illustrates a seemingly happy relationship. Next, in Writing’s on the Wall, that relationship develops problems and seems to be falling apart. It follows Stay Too Long, which was the lead single and reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart. The scene is a bar, and Plan B drinks heavily, resulting in fights and cheating on his girlfriend with a random girl. A court case occurs in She Said, which is the testimony of Plan B, defending himself against a rape of minors, with his girlfriend in the hearing.
In Welcome to Hell, Mr. Banks walks into jail and feigns bravery, surrounded by murderers, robbers, and rapists. The songs that follow delve into the dark emotions that Plan B experiences in prison. Hard Times and The Recluse focus on his loneliness and hopelessness. Trading my cigarettes is about getting a weapon to protect yourself. Praying is a vulnerable prayer to God when he killed a man in self-defense, and Darkest Place is the hurt and angry letter to God that follows.
I know a song is another love song, but sad and hopeless. Finally, What You Gonna Do places Plan B back in court, in a follow-up trial, but this time his girlfriend is not in court and he is a different man. If you do not pay attention to the lyrics of Plan B, you will be forgiven for not being aware of the dark and intense themes it addresses. His voice sounds nice and his style is a bit old school that works well with the vinyl-looking album art. The heavy content the album deals with is a stark contrast to the sweet-sounding melodies.
It’s a very cleverly done album and a brilliant idea, however I don’t know how many listens you could really give Strickland Banks’ depressing Defamation a good listen. Also, when you separate songs without listening to them in sequence, they obviously don’t have the same effect, and individual songs may not be loud enough on their own.
Still, support for the idea and effort without a doubt.
