Martina Topley Bird
Quixotic

THE REVIEW

Martina Topley Bird... if I just said Martina, someone might associate this name with that wonderful voice that graces Tricky's first album, Maxinquaye...
Well yes, this is her first solo album, produced by Tricky himself, with whom she must have evidently made peace after their artistic and sentimental "divorce".

I'll say it right away, this album offers nothing new, nothing groundbreaking, but at certain moments, it still manages to captivate: after a brief introduction, it kicks off immediately with the first single, "Need One", featuring Homme and Lanegan from QOTSA, who ensure a good dose of energy to the track.
With "Anything", the second single, it returns to rarefied atmospheres, with a guitar and some percussion here and there accompanying her voice, which at times reminds of Emiliana Torrini, at others of our own Cristina Donà.

In general, the album alternates between tracks with a more edgy sound, like "Too Tough To Die", "Ilya" and "Ragga" (with Tricky on vocals), and "cuddle" songs like the aforementioned "Anything", "Lying" and "Sandpaper Kisses" (with an "à la Björk" harp at the end), moving through "I Wanna Be There", with a lightning-fast guitar in the background, to conclude with "(Steve's) Day's Of A Gun", for me the most beautiful song on the album, with strings, an electronic base, but above all her warm and sensual voice, the true undisputed protagonist of the entire album.

If you like the genre, and if you think (like I do) that a good part of Tricky and Maxinquaye's success lay in the vocalist's voice, then the album is highly recommended!