Skin scares me.

Skunk Anansie’s fiery frontwoman has the kind of demeanor that would intimidate grown men. It is the same kind of female aggressiveness that she brings to her music. Let’s face it - Skin is the heart and soul, the very identity of the band.

I got into the band, probably like everyone else did, because of ‘Weak.’ The lead off single from their debut Paranoid and Sunburnt is an amazing song. The song came out at a time when rock was experiencing a female renaissance – female rock artists were ruling the charts. Skin’s voice is frightening in its power, it’s the sonic equivalent of her actual persona. ‘Weak’ showed that a black female singer can rock with the best of them. The album was an awesome debut that blended rock, funk and metal into a heady mix that sounds fresh if uncategorizable.

The band followed up with two more respectable releases, 1996’s Stoosh and 1999’s Post-Orgasmic Chill. The two latter albums continued their funk-rock-metal hybrid music with the female vocalist spewing more vitriol in songs like ‘Yes It’s Fucking Political.’