Blowback

Tricky | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 26, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hollywood Records
• ASIN: B00005LNH1
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,895 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #18 in Music > Rap & Hip-Hop > International Rap

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not his best, not his worst; perhaps his most approachable, June 9, 2003

By 

Daniel H. Bigelow (Cathlamet, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blowback (Audio CD)

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.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comeback?, July 29, 2001

By 

Robert Stribley (NY, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blowback (Audio CD)

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.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Blowback (3.5 Stars), July 5, 2001

By 

Eric (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blowback (Audio CD)

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.