tranquilityallstar's Full Review: Juxtapose by Tricky/DJ Muggs/Grease
In my opinion, Tricky's released albums have followed an easily graphable trend. He started off with Maxinquaye which was (without trying to sound too cliched) brilliant. He then released an album under the name of Nearly God. While not as critically acclaimed, this album was very good in the minds of Tricky's fans. Then came Pre-Millenium Tension which in my opinion was his slump (but it still rates highly compared to non-tricky material). Then he released Angels With Dirty Faces, which I believe was considerably better than PMT. Now comes Juxtapose, which an excellent album, and in my opinion his best since Maxinquaye.
On Juxtapose, Tricky trys out a new sound - true hiphop. He teams up with DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill, whoes presence is felt all over the album. Fans of Cypress Hill will absolutly love some of the songs on here. Other artists on the album include rapper Grease, Mad Dog, and the female vocals of Kioka, and D'NA. You may notice that I did not mention Tricky's female counterpart, Martina. This is because she isn't on here. The female vocals, while very limited, are provided by Kioka and D'Na. This is very unfortunate, but the other women don't do a bad job.
As I have said, there is a good deal of hiphop, and some raw rap. But the rap music is mixed in amongst the classic Tricky style that most fans will be instantly familiar with. By this I mean the mumbled, dark, sometimes relaxed and sometimes frantic style that Tricky is known for. It is hard to describe to someone who has not heard his style before.
The different musical styles do make the CD rather erratic, but the flow isn't really interupted by it, which is attributed to excellent production values. It is nice to see some real production in his albums, and it shows how much Tricky needed it. Fans may remember from his earlier albums how some songs would seem to not fit with their surrounding songs, and it would make the entire CD sound poor. This has all changed in my opinion.
One thing about Juxtapose that many fans complain about is the fact that they belive Tricky has turned mainstream. They think that he has turned to "pop music". Anyone who thinks this: listen to Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby One More Time", and then listen to "For Real" off of Juxtapose. Still think that this is pop music? I didn't think so... But even Tricky has said in interviews that he doesn't like this CD. I don't understand this. It is as if some people are against music that sounds good! The "pop music" classifications are no doubt attributed to the fact that many of the songs sound very radio-friendly. Is there something wrong with giving the listener somthing that they can accually listen to, instead of a bunch of muddled junk? No! That is why I don't understand how people can trash this album yet rave about Pre-Millenium Tension. Some people say that Tricky is able to express himself better when he doesn't conform the the "tranditional" musical production schemes (such as verse, chorus, verse). This isn't true either. Tricky has said a lot on this album, and he does it in a manner that sounds good! On Pre-Millenium Tension, Tricky mumbles, and the songs sound like junk, yet I don't understand a single thing that Tricky is trying to say - and I don't care.
One real complaint that many people, including myself, have with Juxtapose is it's length. It clocks in at an insulting 35 minutes! Are we living in the 70's where you could only fit 35 minutes on a record? I was very disapointed with this. I know of many songs that Tricky has done that have not been released that he performs live. My favorite song by Tricky (Movies Don't Move Me) isn't released. It seems to me like the thing to do would be to release this much anticipated track, or some of his other material. It really sucks to buy a CD at full price only to get half of the music that would be on another CD. Big let down Tricky.
Anyways...on to the individual tracks:
Track List
For Real
Bom Bom Diggy
Contradictive
She Said
I Like The Girls
Hot Like A Sauna
Call Me
Wash My Soul
Hot Like A Sauna (Metal Mix)
Scrappy Love
For Real is one of my favorite Tricky songs ever. I first heard the song live, and it blew me away. It is one of the most excellent vocals that Tricky has ever done in his entire career. He gets away from the muddled talking that he is known for, and he accually develps some true rythm. He raps on top of an excellent drum beat with a great, yet subtle, guitar line in the background. For those of you who don't think that Tricky can get his message across in this so called "pop music", listen to the lyrics of this song. He basically trashes every rap artist out there right now. He says two of my favorite lines in this song that I believe smack American rappers right in the face, including DJ Muggs, hehe. One such line:
"Don't get me wrong, I know you got guns and your not scared to use them
But is there money being made around these guns or lives until you lose them"
Also here is another line that I love:
"And your profile is too big, so how you gonna be a crime family?" This is what I have always thought. Some rappers out there claim that they are big criminals, but truly if they were to accually do something, their profile would make them stick out like a sore thumb. Way to go, Tricky. Who says Tricky can't express himself? See this song live, because Tricky's intensity will blow you away.
Bom Bom Diggy This song starts out as a classic Tricky song, but soon after Tricky is done talking, Grease comes in and releases an excellent rap that sounds incredibly similar to any Cypress Hill song you have heard. I'm not sure what this song is about, but it is very good.
Contradictive is another deep, and excellent, song. Tricky comes back to his mumbling voice again, but he still is right on beat with the music. His voice is on top of a great beat, and a brilliantly sampled guitar line. The chorus is done by Bob Khaleel, who has a trancelike, mesmerizing voice. Again in this song, like in For Real, Tricky trashes many rappers (it seems to me like he is targeting the No Limit artists, but he is probably aiming at all rappers in general). Tricky talks about the sterotypical and contradictive nature of today's rappers, and again comes up with some excellent lines. One of my favorites:
"You could never lead a riot
Money don't make you a leader
A leader usually reads
Go read a book
He shaked then he shook
'I need that crack, I need that crack'"
Also:
"Remember Hollywood
You could finally make deals
Screamin', "N*gger you can get these!"
Stereotypical
Almost mythical"
Tricky's lyrics are very real and cold, and I totally agree with everything he says.
She Said is a weak track that sounds like it is from Angels With Dirty Faces outtakes. It is a Tricky rap on top of a frantic drum beat, similar to other Tricky songs like "Record Companies" and "Sex Drive". I don't like it as much as the other songs, but it doesn't really hurt the album. The song is a story about a crime spree that didn't end up too well. Doesn't really say anything, but it isn't a bad listen.
I Like The Girls is essentially a Cypress Hill song. The whole thing is pure rap, but it still fits with the rest of the album. The vocals are by Mad Dog who sounds like any other semi-highpitched rapper that you have heard. The song has a good beat, and it it great to dance or drive to. It is a XXX song about lesbians. It is an interesting choice of topics for a rap song, yet I am not surprised nor shocked by it. Don't worry about playing it around your parents either, because the lyrics are hard to distinguish unless you really try. Very good song, and it's another one of my favorites.
Hot Like A Sauna is another song off of Juxtapose that I first heard live. I heard a version without the rap by Mad Dog, and it was very good. The album version is just as good, and the rap doesn't take away from it at all. Tricky raps with as much flow as he did in For Real. It is on top of a dark horn sample and drum beat, and has a very distinctive sound. Mad Dog comes in after the first verse with a usual rap that sounds unsurprisingly similar to the one in Bom Bom Diggy. After his rap comes Kioka's beautiful voice. She sings a chorus that will remind you of Martina, but it won't make you miss her. The entire song is very upbeat and good to dance to. As far as I can tell, this song doesn't have any real meaning.
Call Me is an excellent duet between the other female vocalist, D'na, and Tricky. It is upbeat, and has a very good flow. Her vocals aren't as robust as Martina's, and it leaves somthing to be desired. But as a whole, this song is definatly one of the better songs.
Wash My Soul is a slower song done just by Tricky. He talks very softly on top of a usual trip-hop drum sample. Normally when Tricky does these types of songs, I don't like them, but this one is much better than usual. Tricky has more rhythm and sounds a lot better that usual on this one. There is a lot of interesting stuff going on in this song to keep it from getting boring and monotonous.
Hot Like A Sauna (Metal Mix) This is a very unnessisary remix of a good song. The remix isn't very different from the original. They took the best part of the original (the horns that played the melody) and replaced it with a metal guitar. Very unneeded. It is obvious that they threw this song in to fill up space.
Scrappy Love is another excellent song. Tricky talks to "his love" on top of a very interesting drum beat and piano melody. This goes on throughout the whole song, but it doesn't get boring. I love this song, and it has great lyrics about his love who is seeing another man.
Overall, Juxtapose is a step in the right direction for Tricky. He has gotten to a point where his music is fun to listen to again. I hope that this trend continues.
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