Singer Amanda Blank lights up music scene

NEW YORK (Billboard) - When critics comment that Amanda Blank lights up a stage, they're being literal.

Opening for her friend, labelmate and collaborator Santigold at New York's Terminal 5, Blank hits the stage in pants wrapped in Christmas lights, the focal point on an otherwise dark stage. Despite a muddy mix, she rips through a captivating set of '80s-era girl rap and harder pop.

After the show, Blank strips off the pants to reveal a burn on one ankle, the result of her double-D battery-powered garb. "This tour is a really physical experience, and I totally get worn out," she says.

If Blank's label, Downtown, has its way, she'll be a lot more tired by the end of the year. Her long-awaited album, "I Love You," will be released July 14; the first single, her take on Romeo Void's "Never Say Never," is making its way around the Internet.

The blogosphere has been a central part of the early rollout of the album. "We are superserving early adopters online," says Downtown president Josh Deutsch. "We released the first track on RCRD LBL (a music blog that's a joint venture between Downtown and journalist Peter Rojas) and releasing tracks on MySpace."

Because Blank has previously performed with Spankrock and the Philadelphia performance-art band Sweatheart, she comes with something of a built-in community.

"We are going to wrap her up in this culture," Deutsch says. "But this album is a little different from some of the things she has done before."

As with most Downtown artists, Blank is also signed to the company's publishing arm. "We introduced her to the film and TV community very early," Deutsch says. "She's had two songs in 'CSI: NY' and she's in a Lacoste ad in Europe. Because we control the publishing, we are able to get way out ahead in terms of licensing the songs."

Like Santigold, Blank has licensed every song from her debut album, and she's excited about the possibilities for TV and film exposure. "I'm dying to be on 'Gossip Girl,"' she says. "I call up the publishing staff and say, 'I want to be on the show. Santi was on the show and she doesn't even watch it. It's not fair."'

(Editing by Dean Gooodman at Reuters) (please visit our entertainment blog via www.reuters.com or on http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/)