Massive Attack's sophomore effort could never be as stunning as Blue Lines, and a slight drop in production and songwriting quality made the comparisons easy.
Still, from the first two songs Protection sounds worthy of their debut.
The opening title track is pure excellence, with melancholy keyboards, throbbing acid lines, and fragmented beats perfectly complementing the transcendent vocals of Tracey Thorn (an inspired choice to replace the departed Shara Nelson as their muse).
Tricky, another soon-to-be-solo performer, makes his breakout on this record, with blunted performances on "Karmacoma," another highlight, as well as "Eurochild." But even though the production is just as intriguing as on Blue Lines, there's a bit lacking here -- Massive Attack doesn't summon quite the emotional power they did previously.
Guest Craig Armstrong's piano work on the aimless tracks "Weather Storm" and "Heat Miser" leans uncomfortably close to Muzak, and his arrangement and conducting for "Sly" isn't much better (vocals by Nicolette save the track somewhat).
Though it's still miles ahead of the growing raft of trip-hop making the rounds in the mid-'90s, Protection is rather a disappointment.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ProtectionGrantley Marshall, Robert "3D" del Naja, Tracey Thorn, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles | Massive Attack | Play | 07:51 | 0 MB | 46 MB |
| 2 | KarmacomaRobert Locke, Grantley Marshall, Robert "3D" del Naja, Tim Norfolk, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles | Massive Attack | Play | 05:16 | 0 MB | 32 MB |
| 3 | Weather StormCraig Armstrong, Curtis Harmon, Nellee Hooper, James K. Lloyd, Grantley Marshall, C.C. Murray, Robert "3D" del Naja, Cedric A. Napoleon, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles | Massive Attack | Play | 04:59 | 0 MB | 23 MB |
| 4 | Spying GlassHorace Andy, Nellee Hooper, Grantley Marshall, Robert "3D" del Naja, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles | Massive Attack | Play | 05:20 | 0 MB | 28 MB |
| 5 | Better ThingsJames Brown, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Robert "3D" del Naja, Tracey Thorn, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles, Ben Watt | Massive Attack | Play | 04:18 | 0 MB | 21 MB |
| 6 | EurochildRobert Locke, Grantley Marshall, Robert "3D" del Naja, Tim Norfolk, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles | Massive Attack | Play | 05:06 | 0 MB | 29 MB |
| 7 | SlySteven Goldmann, Nellee Hooper, Grantley Marshall, Robert "3D" del Naja, Nicolette Suwoton, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles | Massive Attack | Play | 05:24 | 0 MB | 30 MB |
| 8 | Heat MiserNellee Hooper, Grantley Marshall, Robert "3D" del Naja, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles | Massive Attack | Play | 03:39 | 0 MB | 18 MB |
| 9 | Light My Fire (Live) | Massive Attack | Play | 03:15 | 0 MB | 17 MB |
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| 45 mins | 247 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim Abbiss | Mixing Engineer |
| 2 | Horace Andy | Composer, Guest Artist, Vocals |
| 3 | Craig Armstrong | Arranger, Composer, Conductor, Piano |
| 4 | James Brown | Composer |
| 5 | Robert "3D" del Naja | Composer |
| 6 | John Densmore | Composer |
| 7 | Matthew Donaldson | Photography |
| 8 | Steven Goldmann | Composer |
| 9 | Curtis Harmon | Composer |
| 10 | Nellee Hooper | Composer, Mixing, Producer |
| 11 | Chester Kamen | Guitar |
| 12 | Robby Krieger | Composer |
| 13 | James K. Lloyd | Composer |
| 14 | Robert Locke | Composer |
| 15 | Ray Manzarek | Composer |
| 16 | Mike Marsh | Mastering |
| 17 | Grant "Daddy G" Marshall | Composer, Vocals |
| 18 | Grantley Marshall | Composer |
| 19 | Massive Attack | Primary Artist |
| 20 | Robbie Merrill | Drums |
| 21 | Jean Baptiste Mondino | Photography |
| 22 | Eddie Monsoon | Photography |
| 23 | Jim Morrison | Composer |
| 24 | C.C. Murray | Composer |
| 25 | Cedric A. Napoleon | Composer |
| 26 | Nicolette | Vocals |
| 27 | Tim Norfolk | Composer |
| 28 | Mark "Spike" Stent | Mixing Engineer |
| 29 | Nicolette Suwoton | Composer |
| 30 | Tracey Thorn | Composer, Guest Artist, Vocals |
| 31 | Tricky | Guest Artist |
| 32 | Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles | Composer |
| 33 | Ben Watt | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |