PASSION - MUSIC FROM THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST

Yet again, I come across an album that isn't quite like any other in my collection. Having known and enjoyed the music of Peter Gabriel for years, I was quick to pick up any album with the former Genesis frontman's name on it. While much of his stuff is best described as 'artistically inclined pop,' 'Passion' came as a bit of a shock to me. Instead of the typical songwriting and performances we might come to expect from Gabriel, there is something entirely different; an ethnically diverse journey of ambient music that isn't afraid to get ambitious.

Made originally as a soundtrack to the Martin Scorcese film 'The Last Temptation Of Christ,' Gabriel spent the next months afterwards developing the music into something more fleshed out and impressive. After bringing the musical ideas to their full potential and hiring a vast lineup of different musicians and instruments to bring his music to life, the album has since been considered the release that brought 'world music' into the mainstream eye. It even won a Grammy in 1990 for the 'best new age album,' and while awards ceremonies certainly don't merit much in my eyes, it's clear why this album has met with such acclaim.

While I am not too interested to see the film that this scores, I can easily see 'Passion' as being a perfect musical counterpart to the story that Scorcese tells with the movie. I can admit that I wasn't quick to warm up to the music here; things felt a bit scattered and only as small 'snippets' of music, rather than a legitimate album. While the lack of flow is indeed still evident in 'Passion,' the beautifully orchestrated music makes up for it.

Peter Gabriel's fans may find themselves divided on this album; it certainly isn't typical of his work, and the listener can only really hear his presence in a few scarce sections. Irregardless however, there has been very little ambient music that has this level of artistic acheivement to it. Emotions here range across the spectrum, and while many of the ideas still feel like they could have been developed further, the effect of 'Passion' is indeed a profound one.

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