Peter Gabriel

So

Succeeds despite

Review Score:

(8/10)
This CD has some really thoughtful songs on it, despite the rather clunky soul rehash "Sledgehammer" that has been played to death on VH-1. Actually, Gabriel's metaphors on that song do display a shred of intelligence and wit, but they pale in comparison with the depth of the rest of the album. Highlights include "Don't Give Up," which features a surprisingly restrained Kate Bush (she must have taken her Valium for this one) who sounds, as Rolling Stone put it, "like the breath of life itself." Too bad Kate felt the need to play the part of a crazed banshee on much of her solo work...she could have been great. "That Voice Again" is another thoughtful track, and is both well-written and well-executed, and features some of Gabriel's best singing and vocal harmonization ever. Of course, we're all familiar with "In Your Eyes"...there's something about this song that stirs the soul. And finally, "Mercy Street" is an excellent mood piece that only begins to scratch the surface of the hopelessness and despair Anne Sexton must have felt. Well done.

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