You never know what to expect from Tricky, whose oeuvre ranges from ghastly (Angels With Dirty Faces) to groundbreaking (Maxinquaye) by way of several so-so affairs. Pleasingly, his 11th album, on which he’s assisted by some impressive guests (Tirzah, Francesca Belmonte, Mykki Blanco), finds the rapper at his most quietly menacing. In fact, at times Tricky’s barely there at all, content to orchestrate Adrian Thaws’ stark beats, the best of which recall his mid-90s peak. The hip-house-based Nicotine Love is especially fine, but even the slighter tracks attest to Tricky’s rebirth.
