【No Relation to Jamiroquai】
Often cited as one of the most gifted artists and producers of contemporary electronica and trip-hop, native Englishman Tricky (nee Adrian Thaws) has in the course of eight solo years made a massive impression on the world of music on the whole.
Of course, had it not been for his career and formation of Massive Attack, Tricky's solo career may have never been possible.
Without question, Tricky's work with Massive Attack was sheer brilliance.
I adored everything about the 1991 album Blue Lines and quite a bit about the 1994 release Protection.
And by most accounts, his solo career was off to a rousing start with his 1995 debut Maxinquaye.
The heavily lauded album was above all other thinks dark and angst-ridden.
Blending elements of underground rap with an aggressive brand of electronica, the album proves a challenging experience.+++
While Im forced to admit to the creative merits of the album, my feelings about the disc differ from those of the usual critics.
While I think Maxinquaye is deserving of much of the praise, I also believe it to be rather overrated and not nearly the innovative outing it is purported to be.
And considering it is heralded as the best release of Tricky's solo career, it is doubtful as to whether or not I will ever find it necessary to explore his music aside from this solo release as his work with the incredible The synthesizer, instead of being repetitive, is melodic and strikes a unique balance between synthetic sound and organic rhythm and vocals. The mood of the entire album is dark, brooding, and sexual.
Somehow not quite what I expected.
Tricky groans, whispers, and mutters his psychosexual inner monologue weaving in and out of Martine, Alison Goldfrapp, or Ragga's floating female vocals.
His voice is scratchy and mostly monotone, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Overall, Tricky's "Maxinquaye" is a grinding and restrained chunk of psychological vertigo music.☆☆☆☆☆