This week's hip-hop releases reviewed

AMANDA BLANK I Love You Downtown ***

The shorthand might have Philly's Amanda Blank down as this year's MIA/Santigold (the latter even shows up here to lend a hand), but it doesn't quite stack up that easily. Instead of taking off where her female peers left off, I Love Yousees Blank harking back to her form with Baltimore's Spank Rock and producing an album looking for one hell of a party to soundtrack. With Diplo and Switch providing the production guide-ropes and club beats du jour (neither quite exerting themselves in the originality stakes, it must be said), Blank purrs, flirts and talks dirty like she's channelling Peaches at her filthiest. The lovely, infectious Shame On Measide, Blank's pop weathervane is not as finely tuned as it should be, and she's on steadier ground when she's slinging rhymes and following the hip-hop playbook on Make It Take Itand Like You Better.www.myspace.com/amandablank

Download tracks: Like You Better, Shame On Me