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Product Description
Review
There's a whole generation who, maybe, got as far as Tricky's third album, Pre-Millenium Tension, and lost the faith. For them Knowle West Boy will actually work as a useful summary of all the places Tricky's been over the last decade. Its diversity defies any useless 'trip hop' tag.
It may be initially disconcerting, but then, that's what Tricky's about. And this album is both a tribute to the district that gave birth to the former Adrian Thaws and also the vast range of music that was his childhood's soundtrack. Knowle West Boy is a beautifully produced glide from sinuous steppers like Cross To Bear (featuring Icelandic singer Hafdis) to the Jamaican dancehall roughness of Bacative or Baligaga. One minute you're chugging along to C'Mon (for once, a rock song that works), the next you're flung into the twilight smokiness of Past Mistake, the post-punkish Far Away or the stop-start electronic stomp filled with retribution, Veronica. It's all handled with aplomb: even his version of Kylie's Slow works, though it doesn't add much to the original.
He'd be the first to admit that he's not a singer - hence the employment of so many (mainly female) cohorts. And ever since debut, Maxinquaye, he's known how to use this to reflect both sides of his persona; mixing his patent growl with vulnerability and sweetness. This is probably why the only truly weak moment here is the political invective of Coalition where, for the first time, he takes to the mic alone.
Much of this is autobiographical: School Gates concerns a girl he got pregnant at 16; while Past Mistake is the chronicle of a disintegrating relationship, actually sung with the person with whom he's breaking up: ex-girlfriend, Lubna. Council Estate, by his own admission, takes its cue from childhood heroes, the Specials, though musically it's more plain rude than rude boy. It's in the lyrics that you find the humorous take on his roots. And make no mistake, Knowle West Boy does contain jokes. After years of fighting shy of a media hellbent on portraying him as a dour specialist in subterranean beats and scowling at cameras it seems that he's finally at peace with his own identity.
The result is an album that dazzles and never disappoints. Despite the Tricky Kid's hatred of the limelight, Knowle West Boy deserves to be huge. --Chris Jones
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Album Description
Knowle West Boy is the album that sums up everything that Tricky has accomplished since his 1995 Maxinquaye debut. From the sardonic bar-room blues of Puppy Toy to the haunting quasi-classicism of Joseph; from the twisted Specials-worshipping punk of Council Estate to the bereft torchery of Past Mistake; from the Roxy Music's The Bogus Man-at-the-dancehall art-stomp of Bacative to the poignant autobiographical tale of teen pregnancy that is School Gates, Knowle West Boy sees our misunderstood hero reaching into the post-punk, Two-Tone, reggae, hip hop and pure pop he grew up adoring, twisting it all into surreal Tricky shapes using his astonishingly accomplished band and a host of great undiscovered singers, and ending up with the most varied and accessible set of his career.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
There's a bit of a Bristol revival at the moment what with Massive Attack curating this year's Meltdown festival and new albums from Portishead and Tricky's first muse Martina Topley-Bird. Adrian Thaws to give him his proper name, a leading light of the nineties 'trip-hop' scene, has struggled to reach the heights of his début Maxinquaye with subsequent releases, and whilst he doesn't quite manage it with his latest either it is certainly his strongest material since then. He's enlisted plenty of support along the way and the album has an eclectic mix of sounds but most gratifying to hear, from one who potentially could have disappeared into an apathetic haze of spliff smoke, is some real creative energy being thrown at things.
Nowhere is this energy more prevalent than on the first single Council Estate about which Tricky said 'Council Estate is just me... that song is the upbringing me and friends had. It's the first single I've ever done with just me on vocals. I couldn't whisper that song. I had to come out of myself and do a loud, screaming vocal. I wanted to be a proper front man on that one.' And boy, is he. It's a furious number, just over two and half minutes of competing sounds but with humour in its refrain of 'Remember boy, you're a superstar'. The next track Past Mistake is fantastic, very reminiscent of his past glories with a gorgeous female vocal from Lubua (an ex-girlfriend). She also features on the album closer School Gates which tells the (true) story of a teenage pregnancy and is another highlight. Puppy Toy is a bluesy bar room brawler. Coalition is an angry track about war in the modern world underscored by fractured strings (which reminded me of Faultline's album Closer Colder) as Tricky intones 'You can get your happy meal/In your happy car/You can make more money, more money/But here you are'. The album also contains one of the most unlikely cover versions in Slow which Tricky fleshes out with guitars and his own insistent vocal, injecting much more feeling and urgency than Kylie's anaemic original.
These are just my favourites. There's also ragga and rock as well as rap and more female vocals to enjoy. The albums eclecticism may be the problem but it's a much better problem to have than a lack of imagination. Rappers often talk about "keepin' it real" and "goin' back to the streets" but at the age of 40, in looking back at his past in Bristol, the Knowle West Boy has shown there's a real chance of a bright musical future.
Nowhere is this energy more prevalent than on the first single Council Estate about which Tricky said 'Council Estate is just me... that song is the upbringing me and friends had. It's the first single I've ever done with just me on vocals. I couldn't whisper that song. I had to come out of myself and do a loud, screaming vocal. I wanted to be a proper front man on that one.' And boy, is he. It's a furious number, just over two and half minutes of competing sounds but with humour in its refrain of 'Remember boy, you're a superstar'. The next track Past Mistake is fantastic, very reminiscent of his past glories with a gorgeous female vocal from Lubua (an ex-girlfriend). She also features on the album closer School Gates which tells the (true) story of a teenage pregnancy and is another highlight. Puppy Toy is a bluesy bar room brawler. Coalition is an angry track about war in the modern world underscored by fractured strings (which reminded me of Faultline's album Closer Colder) as Tricky intones 'You can get your happy meal/In your happy car/You can make more money, more money/But here you are'. The album also contains one of the most unlikely cover versions in Slow which Tricky fleshes out with guitars and his own insistent vocal, injecting much more feeling and urgency than Kylie's anaemic original.
These are just my favourites. There's also ragga and rock as well as rap and more female vocals to enjoy. The albums eclecticism may be the problem but it's a much better problem to have than a lack of imagination. Rappers often talk about "keepin' it real" and "goin' back to the streets" but at the age of 40, in looking back at his past in Bristol, the Knowle West Boy has shown there's a real chance of a bright musical future.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I have been an avid follower of Tricky since Maxinquaye, which most people deem his finest moment. Although I do think Maxinquaye is a great album I really feel Tricky began maturing with Blowback and Vulnerable, he has been finding his feet and losing that hit and miss approach, creating an instantly recognisable 'Tricky' sound, and at the same time sticking two fingers up to those that wanted Maxinquaye MKII.
This album see Tricky creating more disjointed beats and bleeps, low growls and sweet females, mixing political rants (Coalition) against long forgotten teenage angst (School Gates).
I know every release is touted as a return to form but this album is truly the strongest material he has ever released, its not easy listening and those wanting Bristolian coffee table trip hop should go elsewhere. Its Tricky and Tricky only.
He even provides another slightly odd cover, this time Kylie Minogues 'Slow'
If you dont believe me try Coalition and Cross To Bear... wonderful...
This album see Tricky creating more disjointed beats and bleeps, low growls and sweet females, mixing political rants (Coalition) against long forgotten teenage angst (School Gates).
I know every release is touted as a return to form but this album is truly the strongest material he has ever released, its not easy listening and those wanting Bristolian coffee table trip hop should go elsewhere. Its Tricky and Tricky only.
He even provides another slightly odd cover, this time Kylie Minogues 'Slow'
If you dont believe me try Coalition and Cross To Bear... wonderful...
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've found the response to this album quite baffling and more than a little bit annoying. Why? Well firstly, while this album can be rightly hailed as a return to some degree of form it is still well short if you start comparing it to Maxinquaye. Secondly, people are far too quick in dismissing the three albums that followed the debut. Thirdly, it doesn't even sound a lot like Maxinquaye! I'd only really list `Past Mistake' as having a similar sound and tone to the material on that album.
I rate this as an average Tricky album - no absolute classic tracks, 2 very good songs (Past Mistake, School Gates) , 4 or so more good ones (Bacative, Baligaga, Cross to Bear, etc), some interesting experiments (Puppy Toy, Council Estate, etc) and some pretty poor fodder (C'mon Baby, Far Away, Slow, etc).
This is exactly the same sort of pattern found on PMT, Angels w/ Dirty Faces and Juxtapose. In fact I'd even go as far as to say that this album is missing a certified classic like Makes Me Wanna Die, Broken Homes or Contradictive.
Tricky is hardly the first artist to suffer from this type of hype - everyone from REM to Bowie to U2 has to put up with this type of knee jerk reaction whenever they release new material. If you are a very casual fan whose ears pricked up when you heard that this was the return of the original Tricky kid then give this a try but approach with caution. If you own two or more of his first four albums and still enjoy them then I'd safely recommend this to you.
I rate this as an average Tricky album - no absolute classic tracks, 2 very good songs (Past Mistake, School Gates) , 4 or so more good ones (Bacative, Baligaga, Cross to Bear, etc), some interesting experiments (Puppy Toy, Council Estate, etc) and some pretty poor fodder (C'mon Baby, Far Away, Slow, etc).
This is exactly the same sort of pattern found on PMT, Angels w/ Dirty Faces and Juxtapose. In fact I'd even go as far as to say that this album is missing a certified classic like Makes Me Wanna Die, Broken Homes or Contradictive.
Tricky is hardly the first artist to suffer from this type of hype - everyone from REM to Bowie to U2 has to put up with this type of knee jerk reaction whenever they release new material. If you are a very casual fan whose ears pricked up when you heard that this was the return of the original Tricky kid then give this a try but approach with caution. If you own two or more of his first four albums and still enjoy them then I'd safely recommend this to you.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
It's got me
Although I already own Maxinquaye and Vulnerable, I didn't have the urge to rush out and buy this until I had chance to listen or check out reviews. Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2010 by Regan
Knowle West Boy is Wonderful!
This album is amazing whether you are a Tricky fan or not. After seeing him perform two tracks from this album on Later with Jools i couldn't wait for it's release! Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2008 by J. Carter
Tricky,s mish-mash nod to the mainstream album...very enjoyable it is...
Few artists can manage to make music that veers from maverick left field commerciality to the outer limits of miscreant self indulgence. Read more
Published on 7 Aug 2008 by russell clarke
What do you expect?
This is classic Tricky - forget trip-hop, portishead, MA blah blah blah labels - if you find some connection with Tricky's previous material, for whatever reason, you'll enjoy... Read more
Published on 25 July 2008 by D. Mills
Old paths re-trodden.
Nothing here that hasn't been done before. If this is Tricky exorcising his demons, then plenty have done better. Read more
Published on 14 July 2008 by zerxan
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