The problem with releasing a truly seminal album is that following it up can prove more than a little, well, tricky. No-one knows this better than Adrian Thaws, the former Massive Attack rapper whose 1995 effort Maxinquaye (which effectively invented the trip-hop genre) wowed the critics so much that he's been living in its shadow ever since. Vulnerable, however, might just change all that - by Tricky's recent standards it's bright, melodic and reasonably accessible. Clearly a big difference has been made by the introduction of Italian singer Constanza Francavilla, whose whispering vocals dovetail neatly with Tricky's sinister murmuring. Neither of them sings, however, so much as recites these murky tales of paranoia, claustrophobia and pent-up aggression. Vulnerable is far from perfect; there are some ugly nu-metal guitar tracks and a couple of cover versions (XTC, The Cure) that don't work particularly well. Overall, however, it's a definite return to form a man who's clearly re-discovered his sense of purpose. Now all he needs to do is re-discover his sense of danger.
