Album review: Tricky, False Idols (False Idols)

False Idols is a sterling return to the form of Maxinquaye, full of sinister, infectious grooves of strings and sparse piano lines with his trademark mumble hiding behind the soulful lead vocals of female frontpersons.

"Somebody's Sins" takes as its jumping-off point Patti Smith's declaration that "Jesus died for someone's sins, but not mine", while "Valentine" finds him whispering over a loop of Chet Baker. But throughout, there's a fresh impetus to Tricky's musical muse that enables his dark imaginings to connect again with beautiful simplicity.

Download: Somebody's Sins; Nothing Matters; Bonnie & Clyde; Is That Your Life