I think this album is Tricky's most "focused" work, cleverly-crafted songs that produce a vivid, dark landscape that is quintessential British trip-hop at its best. This record grows on you, and the Nirvana cover "Something in the Way" is brilliantly executed, a subliminal masterpiece that Kurt Cobain would be proud of. "Song for Yukiko" is great, and it reminds me of the U2 song "Ito Okashi" from their "Passengers" CD.

I bought this cd because it is Tricky. I love all his solo albums because they are so unique and challenging. For me I don't like his collaborations and this is no exception. My favourite track is "A song for Yukiko" which is the only Tricky song on the album.

Personally, I think Tricky is insane for leaving Massive Attack, which is in my opinion the zenith of trip-hop. Tricky, however, has his moments. Probably his best known song, "Overcome" (see his album Maxinquaye) first caught my attention, but his vocals were a little too overtly sexual for my tastes.
On this album, however, Tricky is more restrained. It doesn't sound like he has some sort of ulterior motives on this one; songs like "Evolution Revolution Love" (the standout track), "Excess", "Bury the Evidence", and "Five Days" are really moving. Be forewarned, though: the soundscape is definitely dark.
Trip-hop may never get its due notice in the U.S., despite the fact that it is perhaps the most artistic genre available. Whether the other reviewers care to accept it, this album is a masterpiece, Tricky's magnum opus.

What prompts me to write this review is how so many of the previous reviewers select one or two tracks as their favorites and say the rest proves Tricky's decline -- yet the reviews are all over the map on which couple of tracks are best. There appears to be a general trend in the direction of BlowBack being best in the early going and worse as it wears on, but lots of dissent even there, with some partisans of the Nirvana cover towards the end of the album, or the Cyndi Lauper collaboration even further on. Every part of BlowBack is somebody's favorite part and someone else's utter tripe. Tricky's still keeping us on our toes after all these years.

It's clear from the guest artists on this album (Lauper and members of Live and Red Hot Chili Peppers, for instance) that this is Tricky's attempt to get back on the charts after dimming enthusiasm for his follow-ups to his trip-hop classic Maxinquaye. I am not one of those who think that it's automatically bad to seek popularity and approachability. One of the great things about the Beatles, for instance, was the way Paul's commercial instincts counterbalanced John's introspective artiness. Too much desire to be loved and you end up with sap like Silly Love Songs, it's true -- but too much artiness gets you Revolution Number 9. I was one of those who loved Maxinquaye, but could not follow Tricky farther into his artistic vision than that. I did not enjoy his later albums; they struck me as increasingly harsh, tuneless, and incomprehensible, though I knew they were true to Tricky's vision and sounded just the way he wanted them to sound. I think Tricky's attempt to meet his audience halfway actually improved his work here -- it certainly improved my enjoyment of it.

I liked this album more than anything Tricky has done since the great Maxinquaye (which, of course, is a hundred times the album BlowBack is). I particularly enjoyed his use of Hawkman as a guest on several tracks, and hope to hear more from him in the future. As to whether I can recommend it, I can say this much: BlowBack appears, from the reviews I've seen, to have something for everyone to enjoy -- and something for most of the reviewers to despise as well. This makes me think it's more challenging than people realize. Check it out if the sound samples on this site sound interesting, and perhaps finding out who you agree with about which tracks are classic and which are bad will tell you something about yourself.

i bought the cd not knowing any of tricky's other cds, i got it because i heard evolution revolution love on the radio/and on vh1 and i fell in love with the song. i wish that more songs on the cd could be just as good. i recomend this cd to anyone who likes melodic music with rhythmic grooves. i am gonna go get his other cds soon!