Tricky
Vulnerable

The little king is back, more radiant than ever in this, his seventh album. Just listen to the single “Anti-Matter”, worthy of the latest Morcheeba, to realize that we are unfortunately light-years away from the dark, decadent (and unreachable) sounds of his beginnings.

Yet Tricky manages to bring his own touch even to pop transformations, and you can’t blame him when he declares, “I may not be the best artist in the world, but I’m the only one with a completely personal sound.” Perhaps not the only one, but there is certainly some truth in his words: even in Vulnerable the rhythm is often arrhythmic, urgent and sharp, pulsating and electric, never anonymous. In a word, Tricky.

Credit also goes to the reigning queen, the very Italian Costanza Francavilla, whose Lolita-like voice closely resembles the very sensual voice of Martina in Pre-Millenium Tension. Her whispers in “Dear God” are captivating, as is her duet with Tricky's gasps in “Stay” or the cover of “Lovecats” by the Cure. She is definitely the most delightful surprise.

Otherwise, it’s a more radiant and catchy album (not to say at times commercial) than the previous ones. That alone would be enough to make it fly out the window. If it weren’t Tricky, that is. In fact, it’s still there spinning.