CHAMELEON IN THE SHADOW OF THE NIGHT

Although Peter is surrounded by his VdGG brethren this varies a good deal from the band's sound. Really besides the obvious meant for VdGG (In The)Black Room/Tower and some moments of Rock and Role little of this will probably appeal directly to fans.

What is the same? Besides the previously mentioned tracks the atmosphere stands most akin to VdGG. It's a dark album which makes it sometimes difficult to listen to due to the thick sheet of depression and isolation swept over you as the tracks unfold. Peter paints a bleak picture of life on the road, and his ability to inject such emotions into a lay audience is phenomenal.

Most of the songs here aren't so much different from some sort of an indie singer-songwriter writer's album. Mostly just Peter's voice accompanied by an acoustic guitar or piano. His voice seems to not be as theatrical or dramatic on this album for the bulk of the songs, probably to capture that simplistic one man and a guitar aesthetic. On that level he does a fairly good job, but I do think the quality of the album suffers as a whole from some more generic singing than per the norm for him.

Although I enjoy the album some of the acoustic tracks fail to hold my interest. They slip into the background of my mind as some sort of study music instead of demanding my attention and grabbing me into their own world. The standout tracks are fantastic and the rest are really only good. Higher quality and more original material would follow.