A Tricky return to form.
It has been a long five years since his last album but Tricky has finally stepped up to the plate with a new offering. ‘Knowle West Boy’ sees the maverick front man turning the clock back and trying to build some bridges that have been broken in recent times. It’s the usual mix of styles and moves that are commonly associated with Tricky
‘Past Mistake’ is evocative of the early days of Tricky with the smoky backing and the female accompaniment coming to the fore making it a good listen. It is almost something you could imagine coming from Portishead which again, is no bad thing. There is a definite touch of Tricky trying to reconnect with some old fans but he isn’t going to get all nostalgic for no reason. The lyrical flow of some of the songs indicates that he has been looking back at some of his life anyway and the album indicates a return to former life and glories.
There is a cover of ‘Slow’, the Kylie Minogue track on here and it’s certainly a brave attempt. If you were lucky enough to hear the Chemical Brothers remix of the track it’s a bit more like that in tempo and electronic wizardry but Tricky infuses the song with his own style. The clanging dirty guitars that underplay the track help drive the song on and it has to be said, its quite enjoyable. If the album doesn’t get the early recognition it could well be a good single to pull out at a later date to drum up some more publicity. And to be honest, its one of the few tracks that instantly jump out at you. There is a lot of restraint shown on the album but the intro of the songs positively bristles to life and a few more songs on the album could have done with its energy.
That said, it’s a well constructed and put together album. Each song has its own merits and they mesh well with the preceding and following tracks but theres just not enough vibrancy until the album nears its conclusion. That said, its certainly an impressive return to form that will have many old school Tricky fans pricking up their ears and listening up. With a few more killer choruses and a bit more va-va-voom, this could have been one of the comebacks of the year. As it is, it’s merely a welcome return from Tricky and to be honest, most people would have settled for that.