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 make commercial R&B but didn't feel comfortable in the genre. So he changed his style up, added some hip hop and rap, and this time was successful. Hence, Plan B. He has a unique sound, which has been labeled Eminem meets Damien Rice. His lyrical content touches on intense topics such as drugs, rape, murder and under-age sex.
The Defamation of Strickland Banks is his second studio release and it reached #1 on the UK album chart. The cover depicts an old theatre, the kind where the individual letters are put up on the sign manually. This is fitting as the record tells a story from the first track to the last, and the title of the album says it all.
The beginning of the story starts with a love song, Love Goes Down, illustrating a seemingly contented relationship. Next up, in Writing's on the Wall that relationship develops issues and appears to be falling apart. Stay Too Long follows, which was the lead single and hit #9 on the UK singles chart. The scene is a bar, and Plan B is drinking heavily, resulting in fights, and cheating on his girlfriend with a random girl. A court case ensues in She Said, which is Plan B's testimony, defending himself against statutory rape, with his girlfriend in the audience.
In Welcome to Hell Mr Banks enters jail and fakes braveness, surrounded by murderers, robbers and rapists. The songs that follow delve into the dark emotions that Plan B experiences in jail. Hard Times and The Recluse focus on his loneliness and hopelessness. Traded in my Cigarettes is about obtaining a weapon to protect himself. Prayin' is a vulnerable prayer to God as he killed a man in self-defense, and Darkest Place is the hurt and angry letter to God which follows.
I Know a Song is another love song, but a sad one without hope. 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 didn't pay attention to Plan B's lyrics you would be forgiven for being oblivious to the dark and intense themes he broaches on. His voice is pleasant-sounding and his style a bit old-school which works well with the vinyl-looking album artwork. The heavy content the record deals with is a stark contrast with the sweet-sounding melodies.
It is a very cleverly made album and a brilliant idea, however, I don't know how many listens you could realistically give the depressing Defamation of Strickland Banks a good listen. Also when you pick the songs apart without listening to them in sequence, they don't have the same effect obviously, and the individual songs might not be strong enough on their own.
Still, props for the idea and effort without a doubt.
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