Peter Gabriel

Us

Beautiful, haunting masterwork

Review Score:

(10/10)
Forget the amazon reviewer above who labels this one "So-lite":
"Us" is a much deeper, heavier album than "So" on so many levels, that reveals new textures with repeated listens. Songs like "Come Talk To Me", "Blood Of Eden" and "Only Us" are absolutely haunting in their ethereal beauty, aided by guest vocalist Sinead O'Connor and a typically innovative production that combined the pop sound of "So" with the transcendent world-music atmospherics of "Passion". The instrumental break in "Come Talk To Me" is one of the most breathtaking in his entire career, while the chorus to "Blood Of Eden" sounds as if it were composed centuries ago. Although the critics may have been disappointed, Gabriel fans both hardcore and casual consider it one of his very best, for being one of his most heartfelt and personally introspective works.

Other highlights include the abrasive single "Digging In The Dirt" (with a vocal as frightening as that in "Shock The Monkey"), the "Passion"-like meditation "Fourteen Black Paintings" and the exuberant "Secret World", which closes the work on a hopeful note and became a stage favorite. The only weaker moments, in fact, are those which try a bit too hard to echo "So"--ie. "Steam" and "Kiss That Frog"--although even these feature clever wordplay and catchy choruses, and act as a necessary breather in the midst of the slower pace and heavy psychoanalysis of the rest of the album.

"Us" is Gabriel at his absolute best, second perhaps only to "Security" in his pantheon of solo works. The pace may be much slower than most of his other albums but this creates a sustained mood that is nonetheless never boring. It is an album many have identified with (especially those who have been through a breakup), and it cuts right through the soul with a fierce beauty. It is also probably the most effective combination of world-music and pop ever produced, although its followup "Up" is also superb and highly recommended. Compared to "Us", "So" is Gabriel-lite!

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