In which Bristol's King of Dark decides to take a short break from terminal despair and make cute, furry songs with Alanis Morissette and Cyndi Lauper. Implausible? Just wait till you hear the one that sounds like a saccharine ditty from Thirties wireless or his breezy, West Coast pop/rock collaboration with John Frusciante and Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers. Yet despite its unwanted outbreaks of sunniness, Blowback is still very recognizably a Tricky album. It remains steeped in the lethargy, edginess and paranoia of Tricky's favorite smoky comestible, and for another the bits where Blowback comes alive aren't so much his fancy collaborations with big name rock stars, as the moodier, more raga-like tracks towards the end with New York raggaeman Hawkman. Still, Tricky's stint in New York would appear to be doing him a world of good, and this is most certainly going to be his best selling record since his debut Maxinquaye, Island, the label he left last year, must be gnashing its teeth with frustration.

from ANTI