AMG Review of No Protection: Massive Attack Vs. Mad Professor

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Protection was widely considered a disappointing follow-up to Massive Attack's groundbreaking debut, Blue Lines. Where their debut bent all of the conventional hip-hop, dub reggae, and soul rules, Protection essentially delivered more of the same. Perhaps that's the reason why Mad Professor's remix of the album, No Protection, was welcomed with open arms by both Massive Attack fans and critics. Mad Professor has returned the group to their experimental, cut-and-paste dub reggae and hip-hop roots. He has gutted the songs -- twisting and reassembling the vocal tracks, giving the songs deeper, fuller grooves and an eerily seductive atmosphere. In other words, he has made Protection into a more daring and fulfilling album with his remixes.