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Critic's Review
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Between the 1994 release of Protection and its follow-up, 1998's Mezzanine, trip-hop had worked its way into the mainstream. Massive Attack, however, remained something of a cult institution -- they had some chart success, yet they stayed the province of hip clubgoers and musicians, many of whom appropriated the band's innovations on hit records of their own. As they labored over their third album, Massive Attack's music grew progressively bleak, even as they worked to add live instrumentation to their sound. Consequently, Mezzanine feels alive with paranoia, vital in its own dread. Musically, it isn't a great step forward -- it's a development of Blue Lines and Protection, not a departure -- but the focused darkness makes it feel more coherent than their previous records, even if it doesn't sound as fresh as Blue Lines. In fact, on a casual listen the album may seem a little like a retread, since there aren't really any new sounds, but the key to the album is in the subtle textures -- how the murmuring "Risingson" becomes chilling, how Elizabeth Fraser's vocals on "Teardrop" offer no comfort. Ultimately, Mezzanine is a carefully crafted and intensely personal record that is the group's most challenging and arguably rewarding effort to date. [Mezzanine is also available in a release with added bonus tracks.]
