Hometown: Bristol, England
Debut: 1993

Members:
Tricky -vocals and stuff
Martina Topley-Bird, Terry Hall, Neneh Cherry, Alison Moyet, Cath Coffey, Björk -vocals

Bands in the family :
Portishead, Massive Attack, The Wild Bunch, Neneh Cherry, Smith and Mighty, Björk, Cypress Hill, DMX

Notes:
Tricky began his career as a part of the Bristol-based hip-hop ensemble, the Wild Bunch, which developed into Massive Attack. Their 1991 debut, Blue Lines, gave birth to trip hop, and soon Tricky went solo, releasing his first single, "Aftermath," in 1993, and his debut album, Maxinquaye, which made him the face of the genre. Tricky continued to reinvent himself through remixes and collaborations with artists such as Björk, RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, and Luscious Jackson. Tricky has since made three official full-length albums, Pre-Millennium Tension and Nearly God in 1996 and Angels with Dirty Faces in 1998, in addition to various singles and Eps. He now prefers to make music and lead a clandestine lifestyle in New York. Juxtapose is his latest release.

Links:
Tricky Mothership
Tricky Photo Gallery
We Love Tricky

The most striking thing about Nearly God is how startlingly intimate it is. The drawing of breath, fingers sliding over guitar strings, even swallowing -- it all comes in clear. This is definitely headphone music. At times, you get the feeling that by listening, you're intruding on Tricky's dark, despairing world. But if you're going to trespass, it might as well be into the labyrinth of Tricky's mind.

Before Nearly God, Tricky used pretty melodies to disguise his bitterness, but this time around, his confusion and frustration have been transformed into sadness and exhaustion. Or perhaps Tricky's strained vocals are due to his excessive smoking and not excessive sorrow. Spliff or no spliff, this record is chilling and beautiful. The softly moaning organs, somber strings, far away rhythms, and apocalyptic whirls of distortion that weave through most of this album ("Tattoo", "Poems", "I Be the Prophet") leave your home as the only safe and grounded place. The all-star collaborations are some of Nearly God's most poignant moments: the Specials' Terry Hall is both rough and heart breaking; Neneh Cherry is delightfully brassy; Björk, of course is absolutely charming; and Martina is her usual cool and lovely self.

The refreshing side of this record is that not all of the songs are drowned in Tricky's desperate state of mind. The bluesy rock of "Together Now" and the exquisite, soothing power behind "Make the Change" and "I Sing for You" may sound dark, but these songs are in fact positive and sincere. So while Tricky may still distrust love and relationships, at least here he's hoping for something better.