Bleep

Tricky is … content? Not a word one tends to associate with an artist who has made strife one of the central tenets of his long career. But on Ununiform, the Bristolian’s thirteenth studio album, the trip-hop pioneer uses meditations on death, family and history to push through to inner peace. While the sound-palette of the record stays pretty true to his roots, there are notable additions that evince both personal and artistic progression - just check the sweeping, Serge Gainsbourg-esque ‘The Only Way’. With Tricky acting as the record’s focal point, he coaxes fine performances from Ununiform’s many guests, including a haunting turn from old friend Martina Topley-Bird on closer ‘When We Die’.