Tricky – Knowle West Boy
Posted by AlMachine on Tuesday, July 1, 2008


This is a scrap book of styles and moods; it’s got an urban grittiness yet the female vocals make it soft at the core. It seems that Tricky has tried to embrace every musical style that makes up the current British music scene; then pull it all together to reflect the whole scope and range of music. It’s certainly ambitious, and it doesn’t quite work. At times it’s bluesy, sometimes soulful, it’s laid back and in your face; there’s samples and scratches dropped in to add depth. But it’s the deftness of touch that really makes this pay off; the throwaway cover of Kylie’s ‘Slow’ (which has a really dirty vibe) showing just how thought out this album is. The single ‘Council Estate’ works much better in the context of the album pitching itself somewhere between the Prodigy and the rap section on the Run DMC Aerosmith collaboration of Walk This Way.

If you want to embark on a musical journey that reflects Britain here and now, this is the record to listen to. Furthermore, tracks like ‘Coalition’ manage to makes a social commentary about the current worries and concerns of the everyman.

There are nods to Tricky’s earlier work, ‘Veronica’ has a dub trip hop feel to it, and is rather chilled. But what this release really has in common with his earlier releases is it ear marks him as a pioneering artist once more. There are singles here, with tracks like ‘C’Mon Baby’ really standing out, but ultimately there is not one track that alone does the album justice. This is best served as a whole!

Greg Thomas

9/10


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