As anyone who's ever read one of her tempestuous interviews will know, Deborah 'Skin' Dyer is a very scary woman indeed. Just as well, then, that the former lead singer of Skunk Anansie has a very scary voice to match. With star qualities like hers, she was always destined to be a solo artist - and if her debut album is too intense to be really enjoyable, there's certainly no arguing with the power of that blistering soprano. Most of the songs here deal with the trauma of a failed relationship, and are delivered with such raw aggression that you fear for the safety of the poor man if Skin ever catches up with him. Eschewing the aggressive hard rock of her old band, meanwhile, the music has a soft, soulful feel to it, with a sparse production that puts her wordy lyrics to the fore. Her invective can sometimes border on the charmless, and the relentless melodrama on offer here is often heavy going. But making this album was obviously a powerful cathartic experience - and this unusual, fascinating artist clearly still has a big future ahead of her.
