Tricky - "Mixed Race"

I used to know someone really cool. So cool that I assumed every band/artist/musician she referenced was the ultimate in their genre and I was “in the know” simply by learning the name from her. She mentioned Tricky quite a bit. I'd never heard of Tricky but just assumed that this Tricky character/band must be good because she said so. I'd not had the chance to listen to any Tricky until now. I wasn't sure what to expect. Über-cool was my assumption going in hoping to not be disappointed.

After giving the entire album a once-over, I felt a tense and dark undercurrent running throughout. I liked it. I really did. The songs did seem to have a slight case of oppositional disorder, each standing out in their own right. I enjoyed the mixed-bag that comprised Mixed Race. There were a lot of referenced and emulated genres. There were several different vocalists; female vocalists like Franky Riley and Terry Lynn as well as Bobby Gillespie, Blackman, and Tricky's youngest brother Marlon Thaws. Now for the blow by blow …

To start, I downloaded then fired-up Mixed Race's first track, ‘Every Day’. David Essex popped out of the speakers and punched me in the face:

Hey kid, rock n roll Rock on, ooh my soul Hey kid, boogie too, did ya?

I do like that song (‘Rock On”) and with the first slap-back echoed note of Every Day, I recognized the vibe. It was cool. It was a hypnotic and repetitive. Franky Riley carried the bulk of the vocals with a sultry, dry treatment to the melody. I liked the guitar sound too. Perhaps my friend was on to something all those years ago; I should have been listening to Tricky. What a fool I was ...

As ‘Every Day’ was wrapping up, Tricky got crafty and threw in a bit of Gary Glitter. Wow. I then was convinced of the mind-state in which Tricky wrote this. I get it. I'm down with the early 70s glam stuff. I owned brown Toughskins and plaid turtlenecks. Cool beans …

I felt though that I should probably find out a little more about this Tricky fella before I continued listening. I paid a visit to the trusty Wikipedia and here's what it told me:

Tricky (born Adrian Nicholas Matthews Thaws, 27 January 1968) is an English musician and actor. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style. Culturally, Tricky encourages an intertwining of societies, particularly in his musical fusion of rock and hip hop, high art and pop culture. His debut album Maxinquaye was nominated for the Mercury Prize and voted Album of the Year by NME Magazine.

Sprechgesang eh? I had to look that one up too:

Sprechgesang and Sprechstimm e (German for spoken-song and spoken-voice) are musical terms used to refer to an expressionist vocal technique between singing and speaking.

I was digging it. Sprechgesang was my style and I'm glad I learned its meaning. Not only was I one word smarter, I could now properly reference this vocal style instead of making the “You know, when they talk and sing?” references I always make. Time to rock on ...

The next track, ‘Kingston Logic’ launched into dub-like trip-hop/electronica in the vein of Roots Manuva but with more electronica than dub. Terry Lynn was the main vocalist on this track and tore it up with a robotic chant thick with the flavors of Jamaica. This tune was hardcore!

Acid Jazz was next flavor on the menu. ‘Early Bird’ was hip. It featured Franky on vocals again for a smoky, trippy jazz experience. Employing the sprechgesang, Tricky and Franky sang together throughout most of the song creating an atmosphere most affable for any living room lounge lizards. Your hipster friends will enjoy discussing the Brooklyn music scene while sipping martinis to this one. Just you watch ...

‘Ghetto Stars’ employed some of the newer, minor-chord based hip-hop treatments with a beat reminiscent to Fiona Apple's ‘Sleep to Dream’. Franky led this frank tale about real ghetto life. No glamorization there; being that Tricky's family life was riddled with gangsters and ghetto life, he's not only quite familiar but also a staunch opponent to gangster life. Tricky explains,

“Poverty breeds crime – people don’t just wake up in the morning and want to be a gangster. Some rap music glamorizes the gangster lifestyle, I’ve had real gangsters in my family, three of my family have been murdered, two of them have been shot, one of them stabbed, I remember not seeing my uncle for years, and asking my great grandmother where he was and her saying he’s in prison but at least I know he’s safe, and at least I know where he is.”

Having real-world experience was apparent in this collaboration with Franky. Having the refrain “Ghetto Stars don't go far, ghetto traps, locked behind bars” as the refrain, this story and music were sobering.

Having not thought of a title for the next track, Tricky simply named it for the vocalist Hakim, guitarist for Rachid Taha. Not being familiar with Algerian music, this song sounded quite authentic. The guitar tracks were ominous and slightly unnerving. Like a pall in the air above me, this song laid dark and heavy. The vocals told a strong story despite my not understanding their actual language.

The next track, ‘Come to Me’, opened with a girl leaving a voicemail for Tricky to the tune of ‘Girl from Ipanem’s. Cute. After the messages' salutation - “Hey what's up? It's Jen.” - Tricky immediately broke out a blues jam decorated with New Orleans' style horn parts. The underpinnings of this song reminded me of the synth parts to Donald Fagen's ‘Ruby Baby’ for some reason, as they had that Hammond Organ accompaniment-mode sound, but don't let that affect your feel for this song ...

Peter Gunn reared his ugly head for the next one, apparently a reworking of an old Echo Minott tune. ‘Murder Weapon’ was your basic rock n roll song with Franky on vocals again. It opened with a music box version of Frank Sinatra's ‘My Way’ then launched immediately into the old guitar riff with which we're all so familiar. “Shine your gun, shine your gun, shine your gun right now... it's time for the showdown.” A cool twist on the old song. Nice.

Tricky claimed this was going to be the closest he'd ever come to Disco. He came very close. Time to Dance was a Disco song I would have danced to had I been a Disco dancer. I never wanted to be a Disco dancer because of the short life expectancy, according to Morrissey. Actually, had I danced a little to this song. Now I can say that I've Disco-danced and have no shame admitting it. Play this song and dance. I defy you not to.

Bobby Gillespie led the vocals on ‘Really Real’. With computer-precision, the chord progression orbited around the verses and chorus in droning repetition, allowing Bobby to sing through and juxtapose the purposeful monotony. I ended up listening to this song a few times to try to discern the reason for its existence. With each subsequent listen it made more sense.

The album wrap-up featured rapper Blackman and Tricky's kid brother, Marlon. Tricky had avoided working with his brother in the past because he felt he wasn't ready. He didn't want Marlon to have it easy, hence squelching whatever creativity he was developing. And Marlon was obviously ready by the time it was time to record this one, writing from personal experience apparently, citing gang life and jail-time that rang true. I believed him. ‘Briston to London’ was supported with a sinister Nine Inch Nails-esque sequenced track. This song rocked. Blackman and Marlon traded verses. It was an amazing wrap up to a very creative and clever album.

I can honestly say that I am now a Tricky fan. According to Tricky, this was the easiest to record and least cluttered album to date. I believe it. There was genius in the simplicity of these songs and they grooved heavily. Mixed Race is a well-constructed, thoughtful album with a wide variety effective vocal contributions, moving stories and persuasive grooves and textures. I heartily recommend this album.