Gabriels covers songs from Bowie, Paul Simon, Regina Spektor, Talking Heads, Lou Reed and Neil Young among others. Typical of Gabriel, he doesn't go straight at the songs. He sings, accompanied by an orchestra, forsaking his normal band (who are all fabulous musicians on their own).
When I first heard this, I winced, figuring it was a gimmick. "Not another aging rocker playing attempting to be 'serious.'" But Gabriel, true to form, elicits unusual sounds from the orchestra with odd arrangements and an angular approach.
Based on the amazing recording quality of his last record, this one may be a sonic adventure. It may even grab some of you classical guys.
Listen to a podcast
of Gabriel discussing the recordings, track by track, along with samples of the music itself. There are several segments, the rest available at
petergabriel.com.
