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The atmospheric, understated "Us" may have come as a disappointment to some following the upbeat "So", but anyone who picked up "Passion" will anticipate the mix-heavy melange of third world sounds and electronic effects present here. Coproduced by Daniel Lanois, "Us" did feature a few singles that sought to cultivate the audience developed with "So": "Kiss That Frog", "Digging in the Dirt", and especially "Steam". And more groundbreaking videos were in the offing for each, giving the impression that little had changed over the years. And yet much had changed; Peter GABRIEL and Rosanna Arquette (yes, it's nice to be a rock star) had split, and GABRIEL seems to have plumbed the experience to its depths in a post-mortem examination of their failed attempt to connect. More indicative of "Us" are the moments when GABRIEL exposes his wounds, such as "Love To Be Loved", "Secret World" and "Blood of Eden" (one of several tracks to reference Adam and Eve as aliases for the parties involved).

The album does take time to appreciate, slowly working its way under the skin with subtle melodies and exotic soundscapes. Although "Passion" and "So" are the albums most like it, "Us" does give a nod back to GABRIEL's second album with "Washing of the Water", a piano-led ballad that recalls "Flotsam and Jetsam" and "Indigo". Building on his musical alliances with alternative rock's leading ladies (Laurie Anderson, Kate Bush), GABRIEL here enlists the help of Sinead O'Connor on backing vocals, who makes an impression out of the gate with her distinctive voice on "Come Talk To Me". "Us" isn't the happiest record in the GABRIEL arsenal, though the artist was increasingly disinterested in making commercial music (and perhaps music altogether). It is a sonically gorgeous effort, however; perhaps a little too subtle for some tastes, but bound to please his fans on at least a few levels.

'Us' is a good album there is no denying that but for me is began to expose Gabriel's eccentricities and that mean't...OK this album took 6 or so years to make and I feel the mood in the album exposes why delays took place. For me this sound like Passion part 2 with vocals. What for me makes the album strong is his ability to plunge you into the theme he sings about..man and woman, the frailties, emotions and dark karma of the psyche.Most Gabriel fans will understand the themes he weaves so here is a list of the best tracks. Love to be loved Blood of Eden Only Us Washing of the Water Digging in the dirt....a great macro view of that dark emotional underlying force that controls our everyday lives...sex!

Perfect album! Why? Couple of reasons. First, Gabriel has pushed forward all his creativity and wild ideas to generate this wonderfully crafted album. First time I listen to the audio CD, actually I did not rate this album that high as I thought there were some disco styles in this album. But .. when I purchased the laser disc / video clip of US - my appreciation grew tremendously. A have to admire that he is a genius! I cannot tell you in detail but I'm sure if you observe this music in greater detail, probably would take you 7 or 8 spins, you would understand what I mean.

Second, I like the choice of sound quality used in this audio CD. This is funny. The first time I purchased the album was in cassette format (well, at that time I was broke and could only afford to buy cassette). And then I was so so dissatisfied with the sound quality that had no treble sound at all. But I liked couple of songs in the album. When I had some money then I purchased the CD format. Same thing happened - bad sound quality. And I tried to think, it must be that this kind of sound was made "intentionally". And I tried to enjoy again. To my surprise, I started to like (even love) this kind of sound quality. Bingo! Thanks Gabriel, you helped showing me the hills. Since then I like the sound. It's unique! It seems like no treble but it has a very pure mid range voice.

Third, it's brilliant musically. All songs were composed in meticulous detail and crafted to reach perfection in terms of structure, melodies and harmony music. Many of my prog mates down here argue that Gabriel's albums sound poppy and disco-like. Well, I agree with it - but they don't understand how the musical elements have been built in such a way that at the end produces perfect music with perfect sound. In my view, we can not judge Gabriel's album in only 1-3 spins of the CD. The more you spin, it will grow firmly with you.

Fourth, it's strong lyrically. Name any song in this album. The lyrics are wonderful. I like "Washing of the Water", "Secret World", "Blood of Eden", "Steam" . great lyrics, great melodies.

Above all, I am really happy with the musical direction (and quality) that Peter Gabriel has taken since he left Genesis. His music evolves in the right direction to achieve perfection. He is really a genius! BUY THE CD! - Keep on progging!! Progressively yours, GW - Indonesia.

"In the washing of the water will you take it all away. Bring me something to take this pain away ." - Washing of the Water, Peter Gabriel.

This piece of lyrics, I personally dedicate to the people who are suffering due to the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia countries .. . God Bless You!!

Of all of PETER GABRIEL's non-soundtrack albums I've heard, this is one of the two best, either tied with or just behind Up. This is one of my more frequently listened to albums, especially the first three songs, which I play often as I'm drifting off to sleep. In its best moments, it is nothing short of stunning, as the multi-layered sounds wash over you. I would just love to award it five stars, sometimes, but there are (as is sadly typical of his albums) certain factors that preclude it from that highest prog honor.

Many of the songs have a strongly Middle Eastern / African tone that is extremely reminiscent of Passion; I often think of this as a rock "companion" to Passion, though not quite to the same calibre. It is the most heavily Eastern- sounding songs like "Come Talk To Me", "Only Us", and most especially "Fourteen Black Paintings" that are typically my favorites; these songs tend to be (to me) very calming and I have great admiration for the musicians that can play in the Arabesque style, where the scales have more notes closer together, requiring more precision and skill on the part of the musicians. And, of course, Manu Katché's drumming and Tony Levin's bass are fantastic. The lyrics are also very interesting to me on the entire album (with one exception), and have been well covered by other reviewers.

There are, however, a few problems. For one, the poppier numbers that are perhaps more disruptive to the flow of the album here than on most others of his. I actually do like "Steam" and "Digging in the Dirt", but there are times--especially when I'm trying to drift off to sleep--when I don't want "Steam" crashing in and ruining my relaxation. Still, these two are strong songs, and I have to give them credit, even if maybe they oughtn't have been on this album.

"Kiss That Frog" is the one track that truly sticks out like a sore thumb. This seems like GABRIEL's attempt at a radio hit, and comes off as clichéd and weak in comparison to the rest of the album, and I absolutely, completely, cannot stand it. The other problem with this album that loses it a chance at 5 stars is the sound quality. While I do admit I like the grittier, murkier sound sometimes, it simply doesn't measure up even to other albums of its same time period.

It's a shame for those issues--because I really do think this is one of his three best. If you liked Up, or most especially Passion, be sure to pick up Us.

Peter is one moody son-of-a-gun. Take away all the electronics and world music stylings and you basically have an easy listening adult contemporary album with two tracks, ('Steam', 'Kiss That Frog') that will make you move a body part. Now, I'm not against a moody, brooding track or two, but "US" is filled to the brim. I rather enjoy the "Secret World Live" DVD more, it has an immediacy lacking on the album proper. For me, 'Digging In The Dirt' has a combination of the two styles, an underlining broodiness, but a bass line that propels the song. I know Peter is a serious dude. It's nice though when he allows himself a bit of humor, ('Kiss That Frog'). I only wish on this album he mixed it up a little more.

The first thing you need to know about this album is that Manu Katche and Tony Levin are the rhythm section. That alone would make this a must-have. But there is so much more to love about it. The songs, lyrics, production and arrangements are top notch throughout. Peter's vocals have never been better. From the tribal drum beats that start "Come talk to me" to the haunting fade out on "Secret World" there's not a dead spot to be found. He finds a lilting slow groove on both "Love to be Loved" and "Blood of Eden" that carries you as if you were gliding down a peaceful stream. "Steam" is one infectious, playful song that is joyous in its danceable delivery, rivaled only by the wonderful "Kiss that Frog" that is funky beyond belief. "Only Us" is one of those curious turn-the-beat- around ditties that Mr. Gabriel loves to puzzle us with every so often and "Digging in the Dirt" uses innovative drum sounds to create a feeling of being underground like some kind of existential mole. But it is "Secret World" that continues to linger in your mind long after the cd is over. Peter expresses a universal theme of regretting a missed opportunity to create something special with another human being that is heartbreaking in its truthfulness. He unashamedly bared his soul on this album and when a gifted artist does that honestly it almost always results in one of the best efforts of their careers. That certainly is the case on "Us."

I bought this album in the Cassette format in March 1993, after buying a Rock magazine`s special issue about GENESIS` and Peter Gabriel`s biographies and discographies. That special issue magazine was clearly sponsored by EMI / Virgin in my country, as the Mexican EMI company was then releasing some CDs and Cassettes from GENESIS and Gabriel in those days. I remember that the writers of the reviews for some of those albums were praising "US" very much, and in contrast, they were "destroying" Phil Collins `reputation as a soloist when reviewing his albums. I think that it could be very different if EMI had the rights to release Collins`solo albums here , but, IMO, as he is not part of their company in some countries (with Collins`albums being released in the U.S., Mexico and other countries by Atlantic / WEA) they showed a clear bias against him! Anyway, if Collins is or isn`t a good quality composer, it is not the subject of this review, but I bought "US" with great expectations.

"US" it`s not a bad album, but it required, like many other albums, repeated listenings. It wasn`t as accessible like his 1986 album called "SO", but it wasn`t as interesting as "SO" and other albums released by Gabriel. It still has good songs, but, in the end, I was disappointed. One day in 1993, my oldest brother listened with me to this album, and in the end he liked the album more than me, so, as I did before with other albums (like TANGERINE DREAM`s "Cyclone" album, which I also didn`t like very much), I gave this cassette to him as a gift. Having recorded from the T.V. the videoclips from the songs "Blood from Eden", "Kiss that Frog", "Digging in the Dirt" and "Steam", I wasn`t interested to keep the Cassette of "US" in my collection.

Anyway, there are some good songs: "Blood from Eden", "Kiss that Frog", "Steam" (the best of all, it also has a very funny videoclip), "Digging in the Dirt" and "Come Talk to Me".

At that time, I also read in the newspapers that Gabriel was divorced from his wife (Jill) and that he also had other love relationships (with actress Rossanna Arquette, and it also was "rumored" that with singer Sinnead O`Connor too). He had all these experiences between 1986 and 1992, and these experiences influenced this album a lot, but I couldn`t be very much interested in this album, so this album was more directed to Gabriel`s greatest fans, IMO.

In September 1993, Gabriel played some concerts in Mexico City. I was given as a gift a ticket for one of those concerts, by one cousin, who had an extra ticket not used by another person who couldn`t attend the concert. I can say that I enjoyed being in the concert very much. It was a very good experience. Gabriel played some songs from this album, which sounded much better played live. Sinnead O`Connor was singing with him in some songs.

Gabriel`s album titled "UP" was released in 2002. I listened to it once in one Records Shop. I was even more disappointed and not interested in that album too, so "US" became the last Gabriel`s new album that I bought.

After the breakout success of So, and in particular to single for Sledgehammer (and the exposure of In Your Eyes in the 1989 teen film Say Anything), Peter Gabriel spent the next few years working on various projects. In 1992, he released Us, an album that is loved by some and hated by others. For me, I'm indifferent. While I like some of the songs on the album, I find a general lack of interest when I listen to it. It's only when I get to the really good songs (my two favorites are at the end of the album), that I feel some sort of real enjoyment out of listening to this album.

There seems to be a misguided focus of what the album should be like, I think. Some of the songs meander around the same theme for an extended period of time (Fish would have a similar problem with his album Suits, which was wrought with songs that were too long). To be perfectly honest, I find most of this album boring. Songs like Come Talk to Me, Digging in the Dirt, and Secret World, though, are classic Peter Gabriel and shine brightly in this album doused with mediocrity with excellent grooves, melodies, progressions and vocals (especially in Secret World).

In the long run, Us is probably my least favorite Peter Gabriel album. I don't really think it compares well to the rest of his catalogue (and the quality of his previous studio efforts like 3 and So) and his next album, Up, would blow this one completely out of the water. For fans of Gabriel, there's something to like about it so it may be worth checking out, but for those just getting into Gabriel, check this one out towards the end of your collection.

"SO" had the 2 mega hit potential tracks "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time" on it. On "US" those 2 tracks would be "Steam" and "Digging in the Dirt". What do those tracks have in common besides being potential hits? I guess they are the most poppy tracks and therefore also maybe the least interesting tracks on the album. As they seem to be the tracks we get bored by sooner than by the others. Once again "radio overkill" isn't really helping here.

But if we look beyond those two tracks that I just mentioned, I guess what is left is a very interesting album. Once again Mr. Gabriel shows he's really a "word artist", collaborating with many international musicians and always an abundance of African instruments being played on his albums. I certainly love all different kind of drums and the flutes. Very wonderful and colourful instrumentation!

So what about the rating of "US". Actually I find it a bit difficult as I find "US" weaker than "SO". But then again I rated "SO" 4.5 stars and rounded it down to 4. I guess this album would be worthy a 3.8 rating.

After a wait of six years since 'So', PETER GABRIEL delivered 'Us'. And it was worth the wait.

I don't imagine everyone would think so. The music here is more restrained than on anything since his first album, tempered to a degree by his ambient experiments in the 1980s. However, each song is a well-crafted gem, multi-layered music (much of it exotic in origin, courtesy of GABRIEL'S growing commitment to world music) supplementing thoughtful lyrics. The gauchness of GABRIEL'S GENESIS years has gone. This is sophisticated, understated art rock.

Some of the tracks, such as 'Washing of the Water' (reminiscent of the stripped-down 'Here Comes The Flood') and 'Fourteen Black Paintings' are beautifully minimalist, whilst others build into powerful examinations of the human condition ('Secret World' and 'Only Us', my two favourite tracks on the album). It's not all highlights, however. 'Steam' is fun, but is clearly a pale imitation of 'Sledgehammer'. And the album does take a while to get going, worthy though the first three songs are.

This is a middle-aged man's album, exploring sexuality and gender trouble, as well as revisiting childhood with nostalgia. I'm not sure, therefore, that it will appeal to a younger audience looking for straightforward messages and dramatic moments. However, PETER GABRIEL manages here to be enthralling and entertaining, to me at least.

The trouble with upper middle class British boys wanting to do convincing "world music" is that they are so far removed temporally, spatially, and economically from it that they cannot do a convincing job no matter how much they strive to be authentic. An alternative is to be half-baked about it and pay lip service, which is largely what Paul Simon did on "Graceland." Yet another approach, that practiced on "Us", is to include just enough of the exotic to make the listener feel educated, while producing an AOR album.

This is a hodgepodge of neither here nor there, with neither the ethnic charm of one nor the potency of the other. You can't just throw more repetition or jubilant female voices at it either a la "Kiss that Frog", or substitute lazy laid-back-ness for sincerity, as in the beyond boring "Blood of Eden" and "Only Us", or add some hip drumming like in "Come Talk to Me". None of it masks the fact that Gabriel really doesn't have much of a clue, and that his greatest service is simply that of bringing attention to some of the genre's greats, rather than his own output. He does manage to transcend these problems with songs like "Love to be Loved" and "Secret World"

Peter Gabriel may have embraced world music big time, but he should leave its interpretation to those who know best, including some of the people who support him here. OK, so I have criticized, and it's only fair I provide an example of an approach that worked. You might try the works of White South African Johnny Clegg, especially with the band Juluka, who fused the English folk from his ethnic background to Zulu sounds in a convincing way that bolstered rather than diminished both parts. And it is just as progressive as "Us", even if it is not to be found in these pages. It's also a lot more subversive.

I suppose that every artist has one of these...well, at least the good ones. You know what I mean, don't you? A record that sounds exactly like the one just before it, where everything is in exactly the same place...except it sounds totally different?

On the one hand, you still get a bunch of cool, funky, danceable grooves and some heartfelt ballads, just like good ole So. However, with Us, there IS something different. I guess it has something to do with maturity, or a lack thereof. See, this puppy is like Pete's Minstrel in the Gallery; his simple, sad, cathartic ode to his lost love (read "divorce").

I reckon that's what makes him sound so old. And by old, I mean tired. Tired of fighting. Tired of pain. That dude singing "Blood of Eden" and "Washing the Water;" Is that REALLY the man who once sang "Red Rain?" "Shock the Monkey?" "Dancing With the Moonlit Knight?" I don't think so.

But of course, this IS still the same ole Pete we've come to love (or loathe). Case in point, "Come Talk to Me" opens with a blast of African drum beats and bagpipes. Heh. Who else would dare do something like that? AC/DC? "Come" is a nice little song, good lyrics, and the climby chorus is great. Perhaps a little too long for its own good, but, what are you gonna do?

"Love to be Loved" is a little less hard hitting, a rather straightforward ballady sorta deal. Nice chorus, but not terribly effective, in my opinion. But "Blood of Eden" of fantastic. There true beauty in there, I swear it. I love the self recycling chorus, and the bridge is a billion times more effective than the one from "Love to be Loved."

But I think that "Steam" is the best song off the record. Unforgettable really. I could listen to that all day. Not only is it a fantastic, shape shifting, brilliantly orchestrated artsy pop rocker, but none of the overall feeling of the album is lost. The chorus where he yells "Gimme ST-E-E-E-A-M!" is both hopeful and desperate. "Only Us" cools us down from all that (beat) from all that ST-E-E-E-A-M! Uh, sorry. "Only Us" is another okay ballad. The chorus is kinda cool, but hardly brilliant.

However, "Washing of the Water" might be, just might be, the prettiest song on the record (REAL hard to tell that). The verses are sung with almost passionless sorrow, but it grows little by little, until it hits the painfully desperate conclusion. Of course, that's not to understate "Digging in the Dirt." The verses are biting and angry, scary even, but they give way to a downbeat, optimistic, truly gorgeous chorus. Kudos to Peter Hammill for the backing vocals (which are there, ya just gotta "Dig" 'em out. Heh).

Unfortunately, nothing past this point is quite as good. Still nice enough though. "Fourteen Black Paintings" is the weirdest piece of the lot (more so than "Dirt" even!), a sort of abstracty, ambient piece. Does that equate boring? Uh, no comment. "Kiss That Frog" might not have the power of "Steam," but it's just as fun. It's impossible not to like the dorky but cool fairy tale lyrics, or the repeated "c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon baby" bit.

"Secret World" has a nice melody, but it never feels like it does anything with it. Perhaps it lingers a little longer than need be, but, so did the opener, and the closer is just as effective (if not more so). In other words, that's a wrap folks, and all in all, a great experience.

Not a masterpiece by any means, I'm sorry to say. I wonder if anything truly cathartic can be; it's so personal that it can't help but be a little muddy. I'm not just talking about the weaker tunes here (and, in truth, none of them are offensive or anything). I mean that the flow sometimes feels a little off. I mean, putting ambient lil' "Black Paintings" between the moody "Dirt" and the funky "Frog?" Whose idea was that?

But beyond that, if you like Peter Gabriel (and I like him reasonably enough), then you'll love this thing. Pete bears his soul! We get some quality melodies (suitably complex too, this puts the "art" back in "art pop"), some great lyrics, some moments of real beauty. Resonance even (I mean, "Washing of the Water," I've been there, haven't you? Almost brings me to tears, I mean it). Heh. Maybe I just Pete's old man voice.

And, even if you aren't the world's most diehard Peter Gabriel fan (and, I am certainly not that), you still should have this in your collection. I mean, dude, it's like a who's who of art rock! There's bound to be SOMEONE you care about on this record (oh, look, John Paul Jones!).

And don't even get started on the music videos (chicks in towels and babies buildin' towers)...

"this time you've gone too far."

My sentiments exactly. While "So" was a perfect combination of Gabriel's unique artistry and appealing accessible music, "Us" takes things a bit too far in the latter direction but with more emphasis on accessible than appealing unfortunately. Gabriel had so much going at this point, besides the music he was also as much a video artist as a musical one. Whereas on "So" I felt I was truly listening to a great album on its own accord, "Us" feels like the commercial aspirations and the video potential of the songs is more the concern and it suffers a bit for this. It never rises to the same level of art rock grandeur and it never delivers the same level of sheer beauty.

"Come Talk to Me" is a decent opener but certainly no "Red Rain." Likewise "Blood of Eden" is a nice song but compared to the coolness of the Bush duet "Don't Give Up" it leaves much to be desired. Quite slow and repetitive. "Steam," "Digging in the Dirt," and "Kiss that Frog" are the worst examples of pandering to the middle-of-the-road marketplace with songs that place pop catchiness ahead of any other concerns. "Washing of the Water" is one of Peter's most heart wrenching vocal performances of his career and is likely the high point of the album. The rest of the lesser known songs (Love to be Loved, Only Us, Fourteen Black Paintings, Secret World) are neither exciting nor particularly interesting. The CD booklet has one cool feature, a still shot of art to go along with each of the tracks, from various artists around the world. Here, as in the videos he made for the album, Gabriel excels at the visual. Sadly in this case, "Us" does not hold up as well as simply a listening experience. Look to his next work "Up" or his earlier master work "So" for a better Gabriel album. This one is for his fans

I just noticed today that despite being a PETER GABRIEL fan, I have not rated a single studio album, so I must change that and of course will do it with my favorite "Us", probably not the most Progressive album of his discography but incredibly creative and well elaborate.

By this point of his career it's obvious that the guy is fascinated by the African rhythm and percussion, but the real important fact is his ability to blend them with Rock even performing with unusual instruments for both genres as bagpipes and violin in the best Prog spirit.

The album starts with "Come Talk to Me", in which Peter makes a powerful duet with Sinead O'Connor and Manu Katche shows how outstanding drummer he is. But again what impresses me more is how Peter manages to fusion African and Arabic music with Rock, simply a masterpiece.

"Love to be Loved" begins with a very a drum and percussion intro which leads immediately to the vocal section where he makes use of his versatile voice, sure it's raspy and has problems with the low ranges, but the whispering and technique cover any problem.

The third song is "Blood of Eden", a very solid track from the beginning, again the blend of ethnic influences can be easily identified and morphs into a ballad, where he makes the delight of the listener with his trademarked semi-yodel, again a good duet with Sinead O'C0onnor, not as strong as the previous but good enough.

"Steam" is another great song, despite some similarities with the unfairly maligned "Sledgehammer", the song is very original for Peter, the use of wind instruments makes the song richer, and even though is a bit monotonous due to the repetitive percussion and choir, is strong enough not to affect the quality of the album.

"Only Us" with an impressive contrapuntal experiment between Peter and Levon Minassian playing his Doudouk, but after a delightful moment Peter begins to sing the lyrics with a delicate backing vocals which I don't know if are overdubbed by him or by another vocalist, a very pleasant song that flows gently from start to end.

"Washing of the Water" is the weaker track of the album, almost exclusively a piano and vocals duet with a subtle percussion in the background, despite his effort, this song turns boring and predictable, something unusual in the talented vocalist and composer.

"Digging the Dirt" is a good change, a very rhythmic song more or les in the vein of Steam, with a constant percussion plus a great rhythm section formed by two masters as Tony Levin and Manu Katche, but if we add the excellent guitar, we have another solid track.

"Fourteen Black Paintings" begins with a doudouk intro that creates an exotic and mysterious atmosphere, as the song advances the keyboards and flute join with a subtle percussion and Peter's voice recorded as if he was in a distant location, the excellent vocal work makes of this song an unforgettable piece of art.

"Kiss the Frog" is another track that despite being good, has never captured me, I find it too repetitive, not bad though, only a matter of personal taste.

Peter saved the best song for the end, the magnificent "Secret World", a song that combines everything, excellent keyboards, solid drumming, one of Peter's best performances, bagpipes, flute and radical changes, all covered with a dreamy but at the same time energetic atmosphere. The instrumental break is everything that anybody can expect from a PETER GABRIEL album, seven minutes of pure and first class Progressive Rock but overall quality music almost for any taste.

Even when I would love to give a perfect rating, I can't do that without falling in fanboyism, being that there are two weaker tracks, but no way I would rate this album with less than 4 solid stars (that would be 4.5 if the system allowed half stars), because that would be unfair.

World Music and the Radio

Peter Gabriel could not have known how phenomenally the album _So_ would do commercially when he recorded it (he may have hoped). When it came to record his next formal album, he used his now- mainstream status to continue his ongoing work promoting world music. The resulting album, _Us_ is both consciously accessible and liberally decorated with world sounds that had taken center stage on his amazing soundtrack album _Passion_.

The album opens with Come Talk to Me, fueled by a driving African drum rhythm that at the time was quite fresh. (Not so much now in the Lion King on Broadway era) In fact, most of the percussion on the album leans on ethnic rhythms rather than rock, though the instrumentation varies from hand drums to programmed electronics. Sinead O'Connor provides very nice harmony vocals on tracks 1 and 3, which were reproduced by Paula Cole on tour (who used the appearance to launch her own solo career). Peter Hammill makes a vocal appearance as well, along with many of the world musicians Gabriel had used on _Passion_.

The singles were obviously composed to be singles. Steam, Kiss that Frog, and Digging in the Dirt use conventional structure and a decidedly pop execution. They ARE quite good pop songs and did well commercially. Though not as lyrically intense as some of his other music, these works retain the integrity his former band did not while fishing for success with "Illegal Alien" or "Invisible Touch."

There are a few challenging spots on this album, including the strange rhythmic chorus of Only Us and the dark ambience of Fourteen Black Paintings. There are no low moments on this album; the entire disc is extremely listenable. I loved it when it came out, and in fact I've played it so many times that I can almost run the entire CD in my head.

The only problem with this album is that 15 years later, the most challenging aspects of this album (the world elements) have been absorbed into popular culture. In that way, Gabriel succeeded in his mission. But it also leaves _Us_ as a very good collection of music but no more. None of these songs truly overpower you on their own, as San Jacinto, Biko, or even In Your Eyes and I Grieve do. Still, this is a very good album. 3.5 stars rounded up because it's Gabriel.