Fans who only dig Peter Gabriel's pop hits, such as "Sledgehammer," "Solsbury Hill," or the ethereal "In Your Eyes," may not find much to like on the artist's 12th album, Up, now in stores.
But Gabriel fans who enjoy the singer/songwriter's darker, more exploratory music will cherish Up — a dense, rich, somber collection of tunes from which no hit single is likely to emerge.
Gabriel's first studio album in 10 years, the former Genesis front man has some pretty heavy things on his mind, including death and grieving.
"Don't leave us/don't leave like this/I'm not quitting on you," he sings in the mournful "No Way Out." And on "The Drop," he muses, "One by one you watch them fall/and wonder where they're falling to."
Gabriel sings the spare lyrics with great feeling. The man still has one of the most beautiful and distinctive voices in popular music, a voice continually swelling with hope and yearning.
Popular music generally has no interest in the subjects of death and grief. Indeed, much of the traditional appeal of rock 'n' roll is that it taps into the youthful feelings of immortality. But on Up, Gabriel reminds us that "there is something out there more than this."
That "something" is transcendence from the material world that Gabriel beautifully evokes on this album.
Reach the reporter at michael.b.green@asu.edu.
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Up Peter Gabriel Geffen Records
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