Protection

Protection is the warm one before the dread. Tracey Thorn's title track sets the tone for a Massive Attack record more soulful and settled than much of the group's catalog, with grace doing work that tension usually handles for them. The calm never feels empty. It has neither the weight of Blue Lines nor the dread of Mezzanine, and the title track is still one of their finest.

The middle record, and the warmest. Tracey Thorn and Nicolette give it a softness Blue Lines did not want and Mezzanine could not have survived, and Karmacoma is the bridge to everything Tricky did next.