Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Sound Advice
Three CD reviews
click to flip through (3)
- Martina Topley-Bird
Anything
PalmTricky was a fool. The genre-bending trip-hopster made some of his best albums (Maxinquaye) when he collaborated with London chanteuse Martina Topley-Bird, but he foolishly let her go. Thank goodness Topley-Bird has moved on to make her own unique music, showcasing her gorgeously odd- and-scritchy R&B voice. Dubbed "the black Dietrich of soul" by the press, her debut solo album Anything has enough fascinating and unique beats to lure her fans back. Originally released in the United Kingdom under the title Quixotic, the album was redesigned, renamed and reassembled for the American release.
At once intimate and noncommittal, the opening track ("Anything") is a slow love song featuring her sexy morning-gravelly vocals. "Ragga," which she co-wrote with Tricky, recaptures some of that old magic with a grinding mix of jungle and ambient beats. Her best bet for radio play will probably be the relatively bright "Need One," but the deceptively sparse "Ilya" remains a favorite, with almost Björk-like trippiness.
-- Kara Luger
