Martina Topley-Bird

Martina Topley-Bird is the female vocalist who was the focal point of Tricky's groundbreaking first three albums. Back then, the two switched traditional roles, with Topley-Bird playing the male to Tricky's female side with sexy naughtiness. Five years after the duo's split and four years in the making, Topley-Bird released...

By Lily Moayeri

August 12, 2004

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "19274298",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17482312",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482310",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482313",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Martina Topley-Bird is the female vocalist who was the focal point of Tricky's groundbreaking first three albums. Back then, the two switched traditional roles, with Topley-Bird playing the male to Tricky's female side with sexy naughtiness. Five years after the duo's split and four years in the making, Topley-Bird released the essence of her own, very feminine being in a stunning album entitled Quixotic in 2003. A year later, Quixotic has been rearranged, renamed, and released in the States as Anything.

Spine-chilling, seductive, and languid, Topley-Bird's caressing voice is as open and vulnerable as a wound, yet as strong and solid as lead. Enlisting Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), producers David Holmes and David Arnold, and surprisingly, Tricky (who appears on "Ragga" and "Ilya"), Anything embodies all that was enticing and new about Topley-Bird when she initially appeared on the scene. But it moves far beyond that, bringing her reputation for innovation to bear on creative rock arrangements ("Need One"), beautiful torch songs ("Sandpaper Kisses"), and futuristic blues sentiments ("Too Tough to Die"), and killing you over and over with her pure genius.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.