Back in 1996 Maxinquaye was the album of the year, the one that propelled the West Country trip hopper into pop's stellar firmament. Suddenly Bristol's finest was in the gossip columns with Björk and at odds with his contemporaries Massive Attack and
Portishead.
The first single from this, his comeback album, is called 'Council Estate', which might suggest a return to his roots. But Knowle West Boy is an amalgam of much greater life experiences than that, from the tale of teenage pregnancy that unfolds in 'School Gates', to the bittersweet eulogy of the painfully drawn out death of a relationship revisited in 'Past Mistake'.
It is a common but engaging theme, from the opening 'Puppy Toy''s self effacing bar-room banter to the more raucous 'C'mon Baby'. Tricky may sound like a man not taking himself too seriously when in truth he has probably never been more serious in his entire career. His eighth album is less about trip hop and more awash with modern beats and rhythms.
From this distance he can even get away with revisiting the Kylie Minogue hit 'Slow'. Under Tricky's direction this sounds like an entirely different song from the chart bothering bump and jive of Kylie's version, startlingly fresh and relevant.
Tricky is back on track, with a gentle vengeance.
Download this: Council Estate, Past Mistake
The full article contains 237 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
