Peter Gabriel's impressive
career neatly divides into three
distinct eras: the
progressive-rock years with
Genesis (1969 to 1974); the
first stretch of his solo
incarnation (1977 to 1992),
which saw him morph from a
wildly inventive art-rocker into
an unlikely pop star with "So"
and "Us," and what will
inevitably be the final act. And
if the 60-year-old singer's
output has slowed to a trickle
during this last phase--with
only two proper studio albums in
the last 18 years--well, no one
can accuse him of churning out
recycled product like so many of
his peers.
Yes, the covers
album can be a sure sign of
artistic bankruptcy, or at least
a songwriting well run dry. But
Gabriel's effort is
distinguished by several twists,
starting with his as-yet
unfulfilled challenge to fellow
musicians to return the favor by
covering songs from his catalog.
Next, the finest moments come
not from fellow Baby Boom heroes
such as David Bowie ("Heroes"),
Neil Young ("Philadelphia") or
Paul Simon ("The Boy in the
Bubble"), but courtesy of much
more current indie/underground
acts including Bon Iver
("Flume"), Regina Spektor
("Après moi"), the Arcade Fire
("My Body is a Cage"), the
Magnetic Fields ("The Book of
Love") and Radiohead ("Street
Spirit (Fade Out)").
On most of these songs,
Gabriel bravely (and sometimes
unsuccessfully) recasts the
original upbeat readings into
renditions that are much darker,
more brooding and more
introspective. But most daringly
of all, given that his solo
career has largely been defined
by his innovative use of world
rhythms, he relies solely on
spare orchestral instrumentation
and his voice, eschewing drums
and percussion.
That voice has of course
aged, but the growing
scratchiness only enhances the
fragile emotions and intimate
vibe of the best of these
readings. In the end, "Scratch
My Back" doesn't break new
ground, and it is unlikely to
win new fans--unless we count
some of the folks Gabriel has
covered. But it ultimately is a
much richer and more satisfying
effort than his last studio
disc, "Up" (2002), and it shows
that he is still willing to
stretch, take chances and
challenge our vision of the
singer we think we've known for
more than four decades.
Yes, the covers album can be a sure sign of artistic bankruptcy, or at least a songwriting well run dry. But Gabriel's effort is distinguished by several twists, starting with his as-yet unfulfilled challenge to fellow musicians to return the favor by covering songs from his catalog. Next, the finest moments come not from fellow Baby Boom heroes such as David Bowie ("Heroes"), Neil Young ("Philadelphia") or Paul Simon ("The Boy in the Bubble"), but courtesy of much more current indie/underground acts including Bon Iver ("Flume"), Regina Spektor ("Après moi"), the Arcade Fire ("My Body is a Cage"), the Magnetic Fields ("The Book of Love") and Radiohead ("Street Spirit (Fade Out)").
On most of these songs, Gabriel bravely (and sometimes unsuccessfully) recasts the original upbeat readings into renditions that are much darker, more brooding and more introspective. But most daringly of all, given that his solo career has largely been defined by his innovative use of world rhythms, he relies solely on spare orchestral instrumentation and his voice, eschewing drums and percussion.
That voice has of course aged, but the growing scratchiness only enhances the fragile emotions and intimate vibe of the best of these readings. In the end, "Scratch My Back" doesn't break new ground, and it is unlikely to win new fans--unless we count some of the folks Gabriel has covered. But it ultimately is a much richer and more satisfying effort than his last studio disc, "Up" (2002), and it shows that he is still willing to stretch, take chances and challenge our vision of the singer we think we've known for more than four decades.