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
Mark Lanegan (Vocals), Nicholas Dodd (String Engineer), David Arnold (Strings), David Arnold (Arranger), David Arnold (Producer), David Arnold (String Arrangements), Mark Berrow (Violin), Tchad Blake (Mixing), John Bradbury (Violin), Cath Coffey (Vocals (Background)), Zach Danziger (Drums), James Eller (Bass), Jeff Foster (Engineer), Roger Garland (Violin), David Holmes (Producer), David Holmes (Engineer), Josh Homme (Guitar), Martin Jenkins (Pro-Tools), Anthony Lewis (Cello), Teo Miller (Arranger), Teo Miller (Producer), Teo Miller (?), Teo Miller (Compilation), Teo Miller (Editing), Teo Miller (Mixing), Teo Miller (Treatments), Phil Mossman (Guitar), Phil Mossman (Percussion), David Nolan (Violin), Maciej Rakowski (Violin), Steve Sidelnyk (Drums), Tricky (Programming), Tricky (Vocals), Tricky (Producer), Tricky (?), Jonathan Williams (Cello), Dan Morris (Keyboards), Paul Willey (Violin), Philippa Ibbotson (Violin), Andrew Parker (Viola), Jake Davies (Producer), Jake Davies (Engineer), Jake Davies (Mixing), Rolf Wilson (Violin), Trevor Sharpe (Drums), Cathy Giles (Cello), Ed Coxon (Violin), Joseph Frohlich (Violin), Peter Lockett (Percussion), Ivo Jan Vanderwerff (Viola), Rosie Wetters (Strings), Ron Warshow (Assistant Engineer), Hugo Nicholson (Producer), Hugo Nicholson (Engineer), Hugo Nicholson (Mixing), Steve Crittall (Guitar (Acoustic)), Steve Crittall (Bass), Steve Crittall (Guitar), Steve Crittall (Guitar Effects), Steve Crittall (Piano Effects), Steve Crittall (Group Member), Martina Topley-Bird (Vocals (Background)), Martina Topley-Bird (Producer), Martina Topley-Bird (?), Martina Topley-Bird (Clapping), Martina Topley-Bird (Fender Rhodes), Martina Topley-Bird (Editing), Alison Rogers (Vocals (Background)), Ned Scott (Fender Rhodes), Rick Levy (Assistant Engineer), Rick Levy (Mixing Assistant), Steve Hilton (Programming), Rachel Bolt (Viola), Clive Lander (Violin), Claire Lewis (Mixing Assistant), Jonathan Evans Jones (Violin), Sophie Harris (Cello), Fabien Waltman (Keyboards), Fabien Waltman (Programming), Fabien Waltman (Producer), Jonathon Glynn-Smith (Photography), Natalia Bonner (Strings), Nick Bird (Fender Rhodes), Nick Bird (Group Member), Manon Derome (Violin), Malcolm Strachan (Brass), William Spong (Engineer), Amp 9 (Producer), Gordon Buchan (Violin), Lolene Everett (Vocals (Background)), John Maxfield (Technical Support), Bea (Vocals (Background)), Alex McGowan (Guitar (Acoustic)), Alex McGowan (Bass), Alex McGowan (Guitar), Alex McGowan (Percussion), Alex McGowan (Programming), Alex McGowan (Moog Synthesizer), Alex McGowan (Engineer), Alex McGowan (Fender Rhodes), Alex McGowan (Wurlitzer), Alex McGowan (Slides), Alex McGowan (Group Member), Petra Jean Phillipson (Vocals (Background)), Jason Rae (Brass), Atholl Ransem (Brass), Son of Dave (Mouth Organ), Marsha Swanson (Consultant), Marlon Thaws (Programming), Dominic Toumos (Trumpet), Vicci Wardman (Viola), Daniel Wood (Fender Rhodes)
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 bonus track)
"Too Tough To Die" (Hot To Tape Mix) (French bonus track)
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
