Customer Reviews

Blow Back

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

What prompts me to write this review is how so many of the previous reviewers select one or two tracks as their favorites and say the rest proves Tricky's decline -- yet the reviews are all over the map on which couple of tracks are best. There appears to be a general trend in the direction of BlowBack being best in the early going and worse as it wears on, but lots of dissent even there, with some partisans of the Nirvana cover towards the end of the album, or the Cyndi Lauper collaboration even further on. Every part of BlowBack is somebody's favorite part and someone else's utter tripe. Tricky's still keeping us on our toes after all these years.

It's clear from the guest artists on this album (Lauper and members of Live and Red Hot Chili Peppers, for instance) that this is Tricky's attempt to get back on the charts after dimming enthusiasm for his follow-ups to his trip-hop classic Maxinquaye. I am not one of those who think that it's automatically bad to seek popularity and approachability. One of the great things about the Beatles, for instance, was the way Paul's commercial instincts counterbalanced John's introspective artiness. Too much desire to be loved and you end up with sap like Silly Love Songs, it's true -- but too much artiness gets you Revolution Number 9. I was one of those who loved Maxinquaye, but could not follow Tricky farther into his artistic vision than that. I did not enjoy his later albums; they struck me as increasingly harsh, tuneless, and incomprehensible, though I knew they were true to Tricky's vision and sounded just the way he wanted them to sound. I think Tricky's attempt to meet his audience halfway actually improved his work here -- it certainly improved my enjoyment of it.

I liked this album more than anything Tricky has done since the great Maxinquaye (which, of course, is a hundred times the album BlowBack is). I particularly enjoyed his use of Hawkman as a guest on several tracks, and hope to hear more from him in the future. As to whether I can recommend it, I can say this much: BlowBack appears, from the reviews I've seen, to have something for everyone to enjoy -- and something for most of the reviewers to despise as well. This makes me think it's more challenging than people realize. Check it out if the sound samples on this site sound interesting, and perhaps finding out who you agree with about which tracks are classic and which are bad will tell you something about yourself.

Critics are calling Trickys new album Blowback his most accessible yet. This means, naturally, that some of 'em declare it his best album yet, while others declare hes sold out. Hardly.

Sure the guests are more familiar: Chili Peppers, Ed Kowalczyk, Alanis Morissette, er, Cyndi Lauper, but the music is no less rhythmic, innovative, or menacing. Besides its the unintelligible, three-pack-a-day Rasta vocals of practical unknown Hawkman that really steal the show. When he chimes in with Trickys own asthmatic rasp on Bury the Evidence, a chill should rip right up your spine. The full-out-rock Chili Pepper/Tricky combo on Girls proves just as explosive. And "Evolution Revolution Love" could become Tricky's first American radio hit if anybody bothers to play it.

Lauper's appearance on "Five Days" is definitely worth a listen, too, as is Hawkman's bizarre rendition of the Nirvana tune, "Something in the Way." In the questionable category: Tricky and the Chili's adaptation of the Wonder Woman theme song. It's fun, but comes off kinda like Bozo the Clown wandering through a war movie.

Ever since the release of Maxinquaye, Tricky has been tinkering away at self-absorbed alienating music, drowning deeper into his dark landscapes and paranoid beats. At times, the songs were downright unlistenable. The fact is that there is experimental and then there is insanity. Tricky always toed the line, but during his last few releases it seemed as if he had finally jumped off the deep end. Yet throughout it all, his music was uniquely his - the forlorn diva lost admist the sounds of a post-armaggedon aftermath crooning after the dust had cleared. Even at its most alienating, Tricky maintained a dark aura of mystery and atmosphere. His music was expressionistic and visionary. Eventually, somewhere down the line, Tricky realized his work really wasn't paying off. And so "Blowback" was born - an album shamelessy aimed at the pop mainstream. To say Tricky sold out is a not only a stupid cliche, but its untrue. Tricky maintains his artistic integrity. The beats are in full effect along with Tricky's worn gruff voice. And some of the best parts of "Blowback" rival that of "Maxinquaye". But there's something missing. It feels as if the mystery and menace has been let out. Maybe its just that I've always been attracted to Tricky's dark and depressing facets of music. Either way, Tricky just seems like another great trip-hop artist now, rather than the visionary genius I used to regard him as. Its a FAR step above most mainstream stuff out there and I'll be glad if the Top 40 catches on to it, but its just not up to par with Tricky's earlier releases. Tricky's music seems constrained to pop conventions now- where before it was wildly unpredictable. "Excess" is an incredible opener that got my hopes very very high. It's classic Tricky with bottom-heavy beats and soaring siren like vocals along with a complementing piano. "Evolution Revolution Love" is horrible - the choice of the crooning Ed Kowalczyk was the worst decision Tricky's ever made. Sure its catchy and melodic, but Kowalczyk murders the song and it falls apart. "Over Me" is nice. "Girls" might as well be Tricky guesting on a Red Hot Chili Peppers track since they steal the show and Tricky is left naked but not famous. "You Don't Wanna" is standard issue trip-hop. Everything else afterwards is pop Tricky-style. I keep wishing Martina back rather than Ambersunshower. She's decent, but no where in the league of Martina's vocals. The cover of Nirvana's "Something In The Way" is a stand-out and a unique gem in a album full of mediocre tunes. I would compare it to the revolutionary cover of Public Enemy on Maxinquaye. If it's one thing Tricky is good at, its twisting and manipulating covers until they're starkly different. Still in the end, "Blowback" is satisfying as any good pop album is, yet its lacking in concrete substance.

I mostly listen to classical and 50s-60s jazz music, and this CD is my intro to Tricky. I find most pop music boring, predictable, and repetitive, but I really enjoy this... very atmospheric and interesting.

I had a very different reaction than another reviewer to the song "Your Name": I think it's really touching--it gets stuck in my head and I like having it there. it reminds me of Mo singing with Velvet Underground, kind of.

oddly enough, the lyrics to one of the songs ("I believe in buildings tall... I believe disease is coming, I believe that's why I'm running") gave me such a strong and vivid premonition that 9.11 was like deja vu.

the evolution revolution song is great.

I have no problem with Tricky wanting radio play. does any musician record songs s/he honestly hopes not many people will listen to?

really good record.

OK tricky, you're naked and famous. You have cool friends who are probably big and tough, but please stop putting them on the mic because they have No talent. Please squash whatever problems you have with Martina and get her back (She is why you made it in the first place) Imitating Andy Kaufman and trying to make everyone hate your music isn't ever going to be looked back on as Genius.

This album "Blowback" didn't do anything new musically, and it really sounds like you're either running out of ideas or you've really just done too many ... or something. You only get 2 stars because it was better than you're last 2 albums.

Not that Tricky will ever read this review, but if he does please take this advice to inspire you to do great music:

Imagine a world where you are no longer Cool, a world where people aren't awaiting your next album, a world where really talented singers aren't waiting in line to work with you. Wait, This is the World for you today Tricky.

You are going to have to do some extremely brilliant music to gain back all of the fans who've rightfully written you off. I don't hate Tricky (You only hurt the ones you love(d)

P.S. Your song "Bombing Bastards" was excellent, you should've put it on an album.

Readers, if you used to like Tricky, please check out these not very well known groups: Goldfrapp, Pelican City, Archive, Alpha, Crustacion

I found some others at... good luck

What makes musicians so wonderful is their ability to grow as artists and explore other facets of their musical interests. Tricky obviously had a very open mind going into this project with these other quite different performers. I loved this cd. I loved Maxinquaye. I loved Pre-Millennium Tension, etc, etc. It is very unfair to keep comparing artists with their earlier works. The reason this cd doesn't sound like his debut masterpiece is because he is doing something different now. You may like it, you may not. It's all for the love of music, not just one genre of music. He explores it all in this album, and I commend him for it.

I approach this album basically the way I approach Blood Sugar Sex Magik or Ten or something along those lines, in other words a pop/rock record. I really didn't like it when I first got it, most likely because I am a huge Massive Attack fan and was hoping for something in that vein. I listened to it once and was underwhelmed, shelved it for about a year. Then I randomly decided to give it another go when all my other CDs weren't doing it for me, and discovered it to be hugely enjoyable, interesting, and all-around excellent album. The songs are basically structured like pop songs, voiced by a plethora of guest singers. The music has a distinct and original character to it. It's not the psychadelic wash that most electronic music is, the songs are focussed and direct. But they are far from being trite rock/pop tunes, the production is very contemporary and the vocals are diverse and energetic.

The vocals also are not the typically pleasant-but-vapid deliveries common to electronic music. The tense beats and FX add unusual depth to the singing; also the MCing by Tricky and Hawkman put against the pop verses of other singers instantly pushes the album into its own area of style and originality. It's like uptempo ragga trip-hop rock.

Another key sign that you have a good album on your hands is if there is a low number of regularly skipped tracks. I find this CD so entertaining to listen to, the only track i'm ever compelled to skip is the one wih Ed Kowalczek (spelling?), whose vocals on the album don't impress so much as others. The Chili Peppers songs are awesome, funky head-banging teched out madness. Other favorites of mine are "Over Me" and "Diss Never", both of which bring a ragga/dancehall vibe to the proceedings. "Bury The Evidence" is a masterpiece of atmosphere, sort of reminds me of the Deftones, darkly cinematic and very wide and deep in the mix. Also worth noting is the unnerving cover of Nirvana's "Something In the Way", droned and groaned by Hawkman. This inclusion I think solidifies the fusion of very contemporary trip hop/dance/electro with the attitudes of good old-fashioned 90's hard rock.

The diversity of the album is really what makes it I think. Obviously the songs are well-executed as well, but what keeps things interesting is the blend of so many different styles and approaches. We get everything from straight-up rock on "#1 Da Woman" to synthy, programmed trip-hop on "You Don't Wanna", and peppered all through the album are the dark growling words of Tricky and dub-style vocal drops by Hawkman. It's really just interesting and entertaining stuff to listen to, if you are a trip-hop die hard than you may be turned off however, this is coming from more of a pop/rock songwriting direction.

i bought the cd not knowing any of tricky's other cds, i got it because i heard evolution revolution love on the radio/and on vh1 and i fell in love with the song. i wish that more songs on the cd could be just as good. i recomend this cd to anyone who likes melodic music with rhythmic grooves. i am gonna go get his other cds soon!

I admit I didn't know who the hell is Tricky, but I'm following every musical step of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I heard they would be on this CD so I wanted to give it a try. I went to a shop and listened to 'Wonder Woman', a song with Tricky and John Frusciante doing the vocals. I was really impressed so I bought it.

'Blowback' contains some beautiful Tricky songs with even more collaborations than the 'Nearly God' project. First of all I'd like to mention Hawkman, the reggae rapper without whom I couldn't imagine this album. He sings 'Diss Never' into one of my favorite songs ever. The single 'Evolution Revolution Love' would be a great songs if not the exaggerated chorus of Ed Kowalczyk, but the superb Tricky-Hawkman cooperation makes it a good listen. I feel like I'm gonna miss Hawk on Tricky's next album if he won't be there.

However, it were the tracks 'Excess' 'A Song For Yukiko' and 'Five Days' which I listened to when I decided to buy Tricky's debut, 'Maxinquaye'. Especially the moody song with the Japanese vocals is made exactly for saying good night. As I said,
I love the Pepper songs here though they are a bit 'Peppers'.

For being fair I'd like to say that after listening to Tricky's other albums, I miss Martina, the female singer, very much. Ambersunshower has a good voice but I think no other female singer is able to give you such beautiful moments like Martina. But the world changes and I can't complain about it.

'Blowback' is a quality album that may have won some new Tricky fans like me.

Tricky always hits you hard with the initial track on all his albums. Excess, is just as much of a power ballad as Overcome, Vent and For Real have been. It is actually Tricky's favorite track on the album. The pulsating drum beats from the start make your heart beat so fast you can't help but wanna dance or move to it. Its a great intro to his live shows. The next song, Evolution Revolution Love, is the anthem that most fans seem to love most. Its a song that most definately should get airplay cuz its the closest thing to pop Tricky has ever done even though some of it sounds like reggae mixed with Tricky's devil-like vocals. Great use of horn and acoustic guitar in this piece. The third track, Over Me, introduces a Jamaican reggae rapper named Hawkman and the seductive voice of Ambersunshower. On track four, Girls, Anthony Kiedis from The Red Hot Chili Peppers did vocals alongside Tricky as John Fruschante played lead guitar. I have no idea what this song is about. Please email me if you know the meaning to this song. Track five, You Don't Wanna, is a fun song to dance to. Its also a great intro to his live shows. This is Ambersunshower at her best. The beat to this song sounds very much like the beat to the Eurythmics' "sweet dreams are made of this." After this comes #1 Da Woman, sampled from the Wonder Woman TV show theme. I had no idea John Frasciante sang before but his vocals are stunning. I'm surprised he's not singing or doing lead vocals for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Listen to this song, the lyrics are funny and well written. Then there is 'Name', a slow song with a cool rhythm to it sung by Ambersunshower. After that is Diss Never(Dig up we history), when rapper Hawkman literally takes over the mic with his rhymes. Track nine, Bury The Evidence, is my favorite track on the album. I love the intensity in Tricky's voice as well as Hawkman's in this pompous opus. You have not experienced the power of Tricky until you hear him perform this song live. Its the most intense song you'll ever hear played in concert. Its what i consider to be the climax point of the disc. Sounds more like metal to me but its got pretty much everything in it. Next is 'Something In The Way', a decent cover off Nirvana's Nevermind album. Then comes Five Days , with Cyndi Lauper. Her voice is still great and she is making her comeback to the pop scene. Tricky absolutely adores her and loves her music. Give It To Em, is Tricky and Hawkman making chemistry again. Good use of sound effects in this. And finally A Song For Yukiko ends the album with a woman singing/echoing in Japanese and Tricky slowly rapping, saying something before the cd stops playing. That's the beauty of this, is that it is listenable all the way through. Rare for any artist, Tricky pulls it off.