Skilled Mechanics
by Tricky
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
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  1. The Line of Best Fit
    Jan 28, 2016
    85
    Twenty one years since his Mercury Prize nominated debut solo album Maxinquaye emerged, Tricky may have finally delivered one that can stand proudly equal alongside it.
  2. No Ripcord
    Feb 16, 2016
    80
    Skilled Mechanics is an intelligent, pertinent piece of work that shows just how fresh the ideas of Thaws remain.
  3. AllMusic
    Jan 27, 2016
    80
    The whole thing comes off as an imaginary Tricky radio station where the DJ plays his own stuff and mixes himself into other artist's tracks, so if alternate views and unclassifiable collections are desired, Skilled Mechanics isn't a lark or a side project but a necessity.
  5. Drowned In Sound
    Jan 27, 2016
    70
    In your [Tricky's] other albums, the landscape would scuttle and drift, and you’d blink in and out as you willed; here the room remains a room, and yet you remain... well, I still don’t know what you are now. But that’s for the good. I like you better when I can’t define you.

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User Score
6.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Custom_Concerns
    Feb 2, 2016
    4
    Despite having some similarities in atmosphere to Tricky's magnum opus Maxinquaye, Skilled Mechanics lacks absolutely everything else thatDespite having some similarities in atmosphere to Tricky's magnum opus Maxinquaye, Skilled Mechanics lacks absolutely everything else that made that album one of my favorites of all time. The beats are sparse and unimaginative and sound like the same basic Garageband loop run over and over again. Tricky's deep vocals, typically an important piece of his sound, are completely uninspired here. He sounds almost as bored as I am when I listen to this record. Not every track here is a complete misstep - in general, the tracks featuring other artists bring enough variety to be mildly entertaining, but it isn't enough to save the record.

    41/100    … Full Review »
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