Tricky, who has always admitted to hating the term trip-hop, has tried to etch out his own musical niche ever since leaving the groundbreaking band Massive Attack. On Juxtapose, Tricky does not completely distance himself from that musical philosophy (lo-fi trip-hop?), but he does offer his own take on it. Tricky eschews some conventions and embraces others; the result is a record that feels as though it has a focus -- yet refuses to be in a hurry to find it. In typical fashion, Tricky weaves an assortment of lyrical styles ranging from jungle to rap to R&B. He doesn't forge much new ground lyrically, though, especially when touching upon well-worn ideas such as "keepin' it real" on " For Real" or women's sexual availability on " I Like Girls." Fortunately, he does avoid many rap/jungle axioms such as call-and-response, violence and (for the most part) boastfulness, as well as rap's straightforward, beat-oriented musical approach. Tricky effectively arranges vocals to supply the album's ebb and flow, whether rhyming/speaking with his own undiluted sexual growl of a voice or highlighting English junglist Mad Dog and female singers DNA and Kioka. The backbone of the record, however, is supplied through highly crafted yet uncomplicated pieces of music. Though Juxtapose lacks the experimental heart of DJ Spooky or Dr. Octagon, it is still compelling if not risky. By fusing atypical sounds from inconspicuous electric and acoustic guitars, strings, pianos and real drums with programmed, minimalist trip-hop beats, Tricky punctuates the overall organic texture of the record.

On three of the final four tracks, Tricky slows things down and imparts a prevailing feeling of vulnerability and sincerity as he distances himself even further from archetypical rap posturing and the candid sexuality experienced earlier on the record. By utilizing DNA and Kioka's exquisite vocals on " Call on Me" and "Wash Away," respectively, as well as unobtrusive strings united with lingering beats, Tricky offers a surprising subtlety that many artists tend to either miss altogether or, worse, turn into muddled musical sentiment. This mood is punctuated by the finale, "Luv," with a melodious piano and a discussion of love as something more than a false substitute for sex.

One of the biggest drawbacks of this record, strangely enough, is its brevity; it comes in at a scant 37 minutes (too many of those minutes are devoted to an unnecessary remix of "Hot Like a Sauna [Metal Mix]"). Juxtapose has a decidedly muted quality throughout its short life, a somewhat unexpected quality considering that DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill (a band known for big beats) is among the five producers of the record and is a co-writer for most of its more subdued second half. Overall, Tricky works hard to deftly create a low-key mood throughout the record and, by doing so, enters the next millennium with the quietest big bang possible.

Tricky was apparently trying to make a more straightforward hip-hop album with Juxtapose than his usual "trip hop" output. The only problem is, he'd already made a straightforward hip-hop album three years before, and that one was much better. It was called Grassroots, and Amazon apparently doesn't offer it. I believe it might be out of print. But anyway, Grassroots was an EP that showed Tricky at his hip-hop best. It even had a different version of Pre-Milennium Tension's "Tricky Kid" and also Tricky's BEST ever straight-up hip hop song, "Heaven & Hell." The reviewer below who says "Bom Bom Diggy" is a great hip hop song needs to check out "Heaven & Hell." But anyway, I thought Juxtapose was great when it came out, but now that I've digested it for a while I think it sounds slightly rushed and inconsistent. It doesn't offer all that it could. I read somewhere that Tricky himself doesn't like Juxtapose that much. It isn't a bad album, it's just that it doesn't jolt you like Pre-Milennium and Maxinquaye did. And I also have a problem with Mad Dogg. The guy has skills, for sure, but I get sick of hearing his hundred-words-a-second flow on almost each and every song. He sounds to me like one of those early-'90s party-rap guys from down South, just with a British accent. I think what most annoys me is that he's apparently the replacement for Martina. In the old days Tricky himself would use his unique voice to rap some verses and then Martina would lay down the chorus; you can hear the perfect example of this in my still-favorite Tricky song "Christiansands." Now we get Tricky doing the verses and then Mad Dogg jumps out of nowhere and raps his head off. It just doesn't fit with the languid sound Tricky has perfected on record. Live, I'm sure it works, because Tricky is another type of performer entirely live. He's manic and energized, and Mad Dogg works fine in that environment - in fact, I saw Mad Dogg in concert with Tricky a year ago and it all went together perfectly. But anyway, Juxtapose has a few gems, such as "Bom Bom Diggy," "Hot Like a Sauna," "Call Me," and "Wash My Soul." But I know Tricky is capable of better. Hopefully that will be reflected in his upcoming album.

i am a very serious fan of Tricky, and usually i don't complain about any cd but this one is extremely sold out. even DJ Muggs, one of the collaborators doesn't like this cd. This cd was supposed to be DJ Muggs and Tricky. Looks like it's back to Pre-Millenium Tension for me. Hopefully his next release will be much more satisfying.

Despite its relatively short length, this is top drawer Tricky, along with everything else pre MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. MAXINQUAYE must still be considered his best, but I reach for this album just as much. Tricky IS tricky, the way he manipulates beats and borrows lyrics and makes them his own. He's got some thumpin' help on board for this album, too.

"For Real" and "Contradictive" are different approaches for Tricky; a different kind of mellow with acoustic guitar and piano touches. Elsewhere, Tricky rocks as hard as anything from ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES and gets bugged-out trippy on the haunting "Wash My Soul" and "Scrappy Love." "I Like the Girls" contains an X-rated hyperspeed rap that is so wigged-out. Tricky, at this point at least, is still the master jester of head-trip music.

OK, so 'Hot Like A Sauna' has got some pretty cheesy synth fx, awful guitar and pretty crap vocals, but overall the album's got a style unlike anything else. OK, it's not an aggressive album and it's disappointingly short, but let's keep things in perspective; every Tricky album is going to have songs that you hate, and that just means he's keeping on pushing the boundaries and bringing in new influences. Buying a Tricky album is always a gamble that sometimes works for you and sometimes doesn't. One thing I'm certain of is that he's never going to put out another Maxinquaye; it was groundbreaking years ago but's just redundant now. I'd also like to point out that Muggs is a DJ/producer, not the person responsible for the excellent MCing. Can't some people recognise a slum british accent when they hear it? Some of the comments here confirm my suspicions that apart from hip hop, Americans just don't get dance music. They want everything from every song.