There’s nothing sadder than an artist that consistently chases past success and comes up short each and every time. Tricky is an artist that is at once intriguing and frustrating in that he’ll probably never quite attain the success of Massive Attack or his debut solo work Maxinquaye, but on his latest effort Knowle West Boy he comes closer to finding his past mojo and shouldn’t have trouble finding new fans for it.
The album title is a nod to the area in Bristol, England where he was born and raised and the album sounds like an attempt at trying to acknowledge not only his roots in locale but also his roots in musical style.
The songs are a mix of genres that vary from reggae, ska, hip-hop and punk and the album is better for it. On the song “Council Estate” Tricky rants, “In my mother’s belly and I’m starting to kick / Nine months in the womb and I’m making her sick / Squeeze through the womb and I land in the room” all while reminding one of The Specials two-tone attack. He even takes on his own version of the blues with the song “Puppy Toy” which is filled with his own inherit wit regarding the fairer sex, “You stare, you stare and look confused / Your fruit is slightly bruised / You wear but don’t like men, no / Won’t love, won’t care again”, which sparks the response from his duet partner Alex Mills, “Ah, piss off”. Mmm, sweet romance.
Tricky may never regain his old form, but this is his most consistent album in years even if each song differs in style from one to the other. Even a cover of Kylie Minogue’s “Slow” feels welcome which in some small way isn’t that surprising considering Tricky’s range in tastes. Rarely does a trip through any artist’s hometown feel even remotely inspired, usually more tired and crybaby-esque, but Tricky does a nice job of taking us on another stop in the never-ending British Magical Mystery Tour and thankfully this stop is little more reminiscent of Stanley Road and a lot less Ten Summoner’s Tales.
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