Nearly God
| Nearly God | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Nearly God | ||||
| Released | February 1996 | |||
| Genre | Trip hop, experimental | |||
| Length | 64:44 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | Tricky | |||
| Tricky chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Alternative Press | 5/5 |
| Chicago Tribune | |
| Entertainment Weekly | A |
| The Guardian | |
| Los Angeles Times |  |
| NME | 7/10 |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Select | 4/5 |
| Spin | 8/10 |
Nearly God is the unofficial second album by English rapper and producer Tricky. It was released in February 1996 under the pseudonym "Nearly God", which originated from an interview during which Tricky was asked "so how does it feel to be God... well, nearly God."
Described by Tricky as a compilation of exceptional yet unfinished demos, Nearly God was the result of a clause in his recording contract with Island Records, which allowed him to release an album once a year under a name other than his own. According to Tricky, "I needed it to come out, but Island would never let me release two Tricky albums in the same year"; his official second album Pre-Millennium Tension was released in September 1996.
An austerely produced trip hop record, Nearly God was well received by critics and featured collaborations between Tricky and artists such as Alison Moyet, Björk, Neneh Cherry, Terry Hall, and Martina Topley-Bird, who had worked with him on his previous album Maxinquaye (1995).
Nearly God was recorded in three weeks during the summer, in New York and London, and Tricky himself describes it as "a collection of brilliant, incomplete demos". It was mixed in London by Ian Caple & Tricky.
Originally, Nearly God also included a song with Blur frontman Damon Albarn, but it was removed at the last minute, with Tricky expressing displeasure at Albarn's working methods, saying: "He wants to work on something for like two months and then do the vocals again and again and again, and I don't work like that." The song was later recorded again with former Madness singer Suggs, but this version ("I'll pass right through you") was not released either. Four of ten rumoured songs with Neneh Cherry were released on her singles "Woman", "Kootchi" and "Feel it" in 1996 and 1997. Tricky also recorded another song with Cath Coffey, a cover of the Grease song "Summer Nights" which was released in 1997 on her first album Mind the Gap (released only in Japan so far).
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