IF 100TH WINDOW has a fault, it’s that it sounds too much like Massive Attack. The band established their reputation through constant innovation. 100th Window, in contrast, doesn’t really take us anywhere new. As a result, the first listen may leave you disappointed: will Massive Attack just be retreading old ground from now on? But then you remember that the ground they tread is very fertile. I say “they”, but to all intents and purposes, this is a solo album by Robert “3D” Del Naja. Mushroom left after the last album, and Daddy G, we are told, preferred to spend time with his new child than with a new record. Given that it was Del Naja’s punk leanings that gave Mezzanine its harder edge, it’s a surprise to find that 100th Window offers the mellowest Massive Attack yet. As a result, it can take quite a while to really appreciate it, but your hard work will be rewarded, particularly by the sumptuous sequence from the second track, What Your Soul Sings, to the fifth, Butterfly Caught, encompassing two powerful guest appearances by Sinéad O’Connor, a typically exquisite performance from Horace Andy and, finally, some astonishingly processed vocals by Del Naja himself.

Virgin

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