Tricky
Juxtapose

THE REVIEW

There is no two without three... and the four comes on its own. To close out the past century, Tricky couldn't help but amaze us with one of the fastest records in music history (half a minute). Even in this episode, he disorients us by changing musical direction, embarking on the arduous project of merging American Hip Hop with the British style, and he tries to do it with extraordinary guests like DJ Muggs (member of Cypress Hill) and Grease (former collaborator of DMX). After all, Tricky has been living in New Jersey for some time now, more in contact with the overseas reality.

That this is the most Hip Hop album he has ever made is beyond doubt, but it can also be considered his most accessible (in order of releases) after "Maxinquaye." The sense of bewilderment of "Juxtapose" is also due to the total change of course compared to the paranoia of the previous "Angels With Dirty Faces" (1998). As always, he is very original; he is certainly not an innovator of Hip Hop, but a great stylist managing to estrange and speed up this genre incredibly.

The big novelty is the absence of Martina because she is busy with David Holmes, and in her place is Kioka, who, needless to say, doesn't hold up in comparison. "For Real," the first single that lashes out against rap world stars for their messages of violence, together with "Contradictive," share oriental atmospheres with acoustic guitars that sound like sitars; "Bom Bom Diggy" and "I Like The Girls" (with Mad Dog) determine the prevailing genre in this album; the rhythm of "She Said" is frenetic, "Wash My Soul" (the strongest track) is perfect for a march leading to someone's stoning, "Call Me" (with D'NA on vocals) is a neurotic chant, and "Hot Like Sauna" (with Kioka and Mad Dog) has a double aspect: the first is Techno while the second is Metal. Finally, "Scrappy Love" picks up the "album closure + piano" formula already tested by Tricky in the past.

This album will go down in history also as the "album of repentance" because shortly after its release in the same year (1999), Tricky sends a message to his fans apologizing "for his voice in Juxtapose"... and if he says so!? Record recommended for lovers of the genre.