Longtime Tricky chanteuse Martina Topley-Bird's solo debut is a fine but entirely inoffensive affair, and thus perhaps exactly what the doctor ordered for her trip-pop-adoring admirers. For the most part, Quixotic sees Topley-Bird straddling tasteful chillout vibes with patches of soul, blues, and rock thrown in for good measure. The far too short "Intro" is the deepest excursion into Topley-Bird's blues jones, and if it were just another minute longer, it would be worth the price of admission on its own. The appropriately titled "Soul Food" sees the singer donning her very best Dusty Springfield garb. Just a touch too commercial and plastic, the song is still a wonderful showcase for Topley-Bird's beautifully sweet voice. Similarly geared toward the Top 40 is "Need One," a collaboration with Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme. The track is certainly catchy, but its airy background vocals drown out Homme's contributions. "Too Tough to Die" and "I Wanna Be There" round out the rock tracks and present another dose of mimicry: Topley-Bird's snarling aggression on these two tracks positions her as an absolute dead ringer for Rid of Me-era PJ Harvey. With other collaborators such as David Holmes, David Arnold, and Tricky himself lending helping hands, every note, sample, and genre flourish feels exactly in the right place. The album showcases both Topley-Bird's range and her gorgeous voice, and while its stylistic shifts make for a consistently engaging listen, one can't shake the sense that specific musical formulas are in place at every corner. Still, most listeners will probably revel in the album's eclecticism, as Topley-Bird is an absolutely first-rate musical and vocal chameleon. Satisfying but rarely challenging, Quixotic is a fantastic start to a solo career, and its display of range, talent, and charm suggests that Martina Topley-Bird has an endless well of creativity at her disposal and that she is most likely destined for greater things. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Music Guide
Nick Bird (Group Member), Steve Crittall (Group Member), Tricky (Programming), David Arnold (Producer), Mark Berrow (Violin), Rolf Wilson (Violin), Andrew Parker (Viola), Hugo Nicholson (Producer), Teo Miller (Arranger), Alex McGowan (Percussion), Nicholas Dodd (String Engineer), Fabien Waltman (Keyboards), Dan Morris (Keyboards), Paul Willey (Violin), Atholl Ransem (Brass), Jake Davies (Engineer), Hugo Nicholson (Mixing), Josh Homme (Guitar), Teo Miller (Mixing), Steve Crittall (Guitar), John Bradbury (Violin), Steve Crittall (Bass), Alex McGowan (Programming), Jeff Foster (Engineer), Teo Miller (Editing), Teo Miller (?), Steve Crittall (Piano Effects), Alex McGowan (Fender Rhodes), Gordon Buchan (Violin), Manon Derome (Violin), Mark Lanegan (Vocals), Claire Lewis (Mixing Assistant), Tchad Blake (Mixing), Cath Coffey (Vocals (Background)), Rosie Wetters (Strings), Jonathan Williams (Cello), Rick Levy (Mixing Assistant), Alex McGowan (Engineer), Alex McGowan (Wurlitzer), Teo Miller (Producer), John Maxfield (Technical Support), Tricky (?), Phil Mossman (Guitar), David Holmes (Producer), Bea (Vocals (Background)), James Eller (Bass), Alison Rogers (Vocals (Background)), Martina Topley-Bird (Vocals (Background)), Jonathon Glynn-Smith (Photography), Jason Rae (Brass), Steve Crittall (Guitar (Acoustic)), Son of Dave (Mouth Organ), Alex McGowan (Slides), Rick Levy (Assistant Engineer), Malcolm Strachan (Brass), David Holmes (Engineer), Jake Davies (Producer), Petra Jean Phillipson (Vocals (Background)), Roger Garland (Violin), Ed Coxon (Violin), Martina Topley-Bird (?), Maciej Rakowski (Violin), Ron Warshow (Assistant Engineer), Anthony Lewis (Cello), Fabien Waltman (Producer), Clive Lander (Violin), Trevor Sharpe (Drums), William Spong (Engineer), Peter Lockett (Percussion), Amp 9 (Producer), Martina Topley-Bird (Editing), Marsha Swanson (Consultant), Teo Miller (Treatments), Marlon Thaws (Programming), Jake Davies (Mixing), Hugo Nicholson (Engineer), Steve Sidelnyk (Drums), Zach Danziger (Drums), Jonathan Evans Jones (Violin), David Arnold (String Arrangements), Alex McGowan (Guitar (Acoustic)), Ivo Jan Vanderwerff (Viola), Steve Crittall (Guitar Effects), Philippa Ibbotson (Violin), Nick Bird (Fender Rhodes), Martin Jenkins (Pro-Tools), Phil Mossman (Percussion), Natalia Bonner (Strings), Teo Miller (Compilation), Martina Topley-Bird (Clapping), Joseph Frohlich (Violin), David Nolan (Violin), Alex McGowan (Moog Synthesizer), David Arnold (Strings), Tricky (Producer), Martina Topley-Bird (Producer), Alex McGowan (Group Member), Fabien Waltman (Programming), David Arnold (Arranger), Vicci Wardman (Viola), Tricky (Vocals), Ned Scott (Fender Rhodes), Sophie Harris (Cello), Cathy Giles (Cello), Rachel Bolt (Viola), Alex McGowan (Guitar), Martina Topley-Bird (Fender Rhodes), Alex McGowan (Bass), Dominic Toumos (Trumpet), Steve Hilton (Programming), Daniel Wood (Fender Rhodes), Lolene Everett (Vocals (Background))
Anything promo sampler featuring the "Anything" video
Quixotic is the debut album by English singer-songwriter Martina Topley-Bird. The album spans several musical styles including trip-hop, electronic and rock. It was co-written and produced by Topley-Bird and received positive reviews from music critics upon its release and was shortlisted for the 2003 Mercury Music Prize. Quixotic also includes a collaboration with musician Tricky, with whom Topley-Bird collaborated prior to her solo work.
Quixotic was released in the United States one year later, in 2004. Licensed to the Palm Pictures label, the album was retitled Anything and the track list was altered — including the omission of three tracks originally found on Quixotic. Additionally, the "Intro" track was moved to the end of the album and retitled "Outro".
"I Wanna Be There (live at Bush Hall)" (French edition bonus track)
2:05
16.
"Too Tough to Die (Hot to Tape remix)" (French edition bonus track)
4:16
Anything
"Anything"
"Ragga"
"Need One"
"Soul Food"
"Ilya"
"I Still Feel"
"Sandpaper Kisses"
"Too Tough to Die"
"Lullaby"
"Outro"
Guest appearances
Mark Lanegan performs additional vocals and Josh Homme plays additional guitar on "Need One"
David Holmes co-wrote and produced "Too Tough to Die" and mixed "I Wanna Be There"
Tricky produced, co-wrote music/lyrics and his vocals are featured on "Ragga". He also did some producing and additional programming on a few more tracks.
David Arnold co-produced and arranged strings on "Stevie's (Day's of a Gun)"
Cath Coffey performed backing vocals on some of the tracks
