Tricky, The Man, The Genius
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Tricky's first 3 records are some of the best records ever, they are thick with layers and your drown in the dark moodiness of it all. Tricky got his start with Massive Attack but then moved on to make music on his own.
Maxinquaye starts off with "Overcome" a heavy trip hop beat sung by Martina, Tricky's counterpart for the next few albums. "Ponderosa" features Tricky with his trademark stoner talk/rap/mumble thing he does so well. This song is so heavy and think you could cut it with a knife, another trademark of Tricky's music. "Black Steel" is a Public Enemy cover but you would never know because he has done an amazing job rewriting it for himself. "Hell Is Around the Corner" features Tricky up front on vocals and he slides thru the song with the biggest bong hit voice known to man. The background music is scratchy and dense with a little bit of indian rhythms mixed in. "Brand New You're Retro" is more of a rap song than anything but the beats introduce you to his in your face, tense style that you will find on his next 2 records. I could go on about every track but I need to move on.
Nearly God is Tricky's 2nd cd and features duets with Neneh Cherry, Bjork and Alison Moyet just to name a few. "Tattoo" starts the cd off and is dark, brooding with heavy vocals and erie soundtrack noises in the background. Tricky' trademark scratching and crackling is back which adds to the haunting sound. "Together Now" features Neneh and is more of a straightforward song with radio friendly beats. "Keep Your Mouth Shut" features Bjork and is the complete opposite, putting the 2 of them together you get a very complex song. Black Coffee has Martina back singing and her vocals are very torch singer on this song. Its an amazing song, probably the best on the cd. "Children's Story" finishes off the cd with Martina singing/rapping and showcasing her true skills that would be lost after the next cd until her solo early this year.
Pre-Millennum Tension starts off with "Vent" Tricky singing and beats full of tension and crackle. "Christiansands" mixes a simple guitar riff with dual vocals between Tricky and Martina and a deep bass beat. "Tricky Kid" has Tricky singing/rapping and is very reminicent of the underground rap scene in the UK. Tricky spends the next few cds in this realm which has some highlights but a lot of flat and boring songs. "Makes Me Wanna Die" features Martina and is the best song on the cd. Its dark and beautiful at the same time. The underlying piano is enough to keep the song together with the heavy bass and simple drum beat. "Sex Drive" has the tension and harmonica with lots of fuzz. "My Evil is Strong" is another complex song with live guitar and drums but also includes an electronic backdrop. "Piano" finishes off the cd with Tricky singing over a piano line with thick layers of electronic interference. At times it sounds like Tricky recorded a breathing machine and included it as a layer of sound.
Tricky's cds are very complicated, he has his radioesque songs mixed in but for the most part they are heavy layers of unique sounds. He is not a great singer, his style tho gives his cds a haunting edge to them. Martina and him make a great team but by the next cd she is gone, never to return. This is where Tricky moves on to the underground rap scene and leaves the UK Bristol trip hop behind. Tricky has some good songs throughout his next few cds but nothing worth writing about in my opinion. I will do a review of Martina's solo, a cd everyone should own.
Posted by mardenhill 11/19/2005 10:05:00 AM
