10. Mezzanine - Massive Attack 1998
Like Tricky, Massive Attack's members 3D, Daddy G and Mushroom, were members of the Bristol Hip Hop collective, known as, 'The Wild Bunch'. Bristol then became the hot bed of the Trip Hop scene that spawned the like of Massive Attack, Portishead, Tricky and other artists not from the South Western city, like Sneaker Pimps and Morcheeba. Massive Attack were already commercially successful and well respected, with the release of their first two records, 'Blue Lines', and, 'Protection'. Traditionally, album number three for music artists, has been said to be the "difficult album", but not so with this Electronica outfit. It is quite a feat to go darker than your previous material and score your biggest hit. Going to number one in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. Funnily enough, in the U.S., it was popular with critics, but failed to perform on the sales front there. Surprising, as other British Trip Hop acts were doing well across the pond. The first album to not feature Tricky, and this wasn't unnoticed, but, ultimately, wasn't too much to the albums detriment, as the strength of the material on offer counterbalanced the fact that 3D is nowhere near as endearing as the departed rapper. That said, the tracks with different guest vocalists, are the most enjoyable. Of course, there is the track 'Teardrop', that everyone has heard. It was the second single, reaching number 10 in the UK charts and features the absolutely gorgeous vocals of Elizabeth Fraser, from the Cocteau Twins. Fraser wrote the lyrics after she heard of her friend, Jeff Buckley, dying from drowning in 1997. Madonna was going to be the female vocalist on this track, but the members of Massive Attack voted, with Fraser winning by 2 votes to 1. Fraser also appears on 'Black Milk' and 'Group Four'. Her ethereal vocals are definite high points within the albums 11 tracks.