Its a Tricky comeback.
Its been a long time since Tricky surfaced with a new album and from first impression, the new material seems to be a look back at his early life. With an album called ‘Knowle West Boy’, named after the area of Bristol where he was born, the sense of nostalgia hits you right away. ‘Council Estate’, the lead single, merely adds to this feeling.
Unsurprisingly the record label is quick to draw comparisons back to 1995 and the era when Tricky was universally lauded. You can see some signs that this track would have fitted in with the ‘Maxinquaye’ era but it doesn’t live up to the great moments from then. Then again, that’s hardly a criticism; many acts have struggled to compete with the promise shown on that record.
As for the song itself, it’s clear that Tricky has lost none of his lyrical fire. The shouted delivery grabs the listener from the off, as do the lyrics talking about his birth and then quickly rattling through his early years. There is even an allusion to the time he spent in prison but it is the repeated chorus that gets lodged in the brain most of all. It’s hard to place where Tricky fits in right now with regards to getting exposure for this track but the refrain of “you’re a superstar” and the dark paranoia shows that Tricky has lost none of his classic duel personality.
Musically, it’s venomous and suits the violent delivery of the lyrics, the rising guitar riff that fills some of the gaps brings a good sense of vibrancy to it and the song would go down a bomb live. It is definitely not the return to form that people were hoping for but it’s a reminder of how good Tricky was and could possibly still be. With an album to follow, lets hope that ‘Council Estate’ is merely a taster for something better to come from Tricky.