Tricky

The trip-hop pioneer has yet to top his stunning 1995 debut, but Knowle West Boy sees him flirting with all the right elements. In typical Tricky fashion, beats break around seductive giggles, groans and sexy interplay with various sirens. "Past Mistake" resurrects the ominous beauty of Maxinquaye as he masochistically pours out his love woes by harmonizing with ex-girl Lubna. He expands his sound as well, mixing bluesy rock, rapid reggae, hardcore hip-hop, symphonic punk and even a Kylie Minogue cover ("Slow") with the signature apocalyptic bounce he continues to keep relevant.

2008 is shaping up as the Year Bristol Bounced Back. Earlier this year, the city's trip-hop
lords Portishead released the superb album Third. Now comes the first record in five years
from Tricky, who helped codify the foreboding Bristol sound along with Portishead and
Massive Attack in the mid-Nineties. Tricky's hometown is much on his mind: The album title
refers to the hardscrabble hood where he grew up, and he has called the album... More >