The album juggernauts along like you are joyriding with Tricky through Knowle West council estate. Bits of R&B, New Wave and Reggae are floating in and out on your journey.

‘Knowle West Boy’ is Tricky’s attempt at doing an autobiographical album about the time he grew up in. I can hear echoes of Roxy Music, The Specials, New Wave, Reggae and more. It makes for a fascinating kaleidoscope of an album, but it also results in a very mixed bag of songs. You’ll probably end up liking some and hating others.

‘C’mon Baby’ is a striking piece of artrock at its Roxy Music or Magazine heyday. ‘Slow’ rattles along like a particularly grimey slice of New Wave disco, while ‘Baligaga’ is a Reggae flavoured dancehall crusher and ‘Veronika’ is the Chemical Brothers at their best.

The first single ‘Council Estate’ is easily the strongest track on the album. It’s Tricky’s self-confessed attempt at sounding like an updated version of The Specials and he pulls it off with great aplomb.

Fans of the quiet, chilled-out Tricky of the ‘Maxinquaye’ era may want to check out the almost pastoral ‘Past Mistake’ and the cool 1970’s style ballad ‘School Gates’.

The R&B flavoured tracks like ‘Cross To Bear’, ‘Bactive’ and ‘Coalition’ are generally weaker, but that’s just my personal taste.

The 13 songs on ‘Knowle West Boy’ make for a nervous, somewhat edgy journey. Just like edgy experiences sometimes do, this one could end up looking better in retrospect. Be prepared to work on liking this album.

Listen Now to samples of ‘Knowle West Boy’ and download the album on iTunes.

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