UP

If you want to scare the holy bejesus out of someone just slip this cd into their headphones and wait about ten seconds. "Darkness" is frightening in its bleakness and a lot like tiptoeing through a haunted house. I, too, had waited 12 years since the inspiring "Us" had thrilled me and I naively expected more of the same from Mr. Gabriel. Not so. In fact, it is such a departure from his previous albums that at first I didn't know whether I liked it at all. But repeated listenings have endeared it to me. I must be in the minority from what I've read on this forum but I like "Barry Williams Show" because it is true satire in the same vein as "Big Time" and "Games without Frontiers." And the funky track is perfect. What a show... Another stand out is "More than this" which is one of his most infectious melodies ever as it builds both musically and lyrically. But it is "Signal to Noise" that elevates this endeavor to majestic heights. It pulls you along with its mysterious sounds until the introduction of the complex symphonic score that ascends into the stratosphere. It literally takes your breath away with its unorthodox chordings. If Peter had any leanings toward repeating the commercial success he had with "Sledgehammer" and "Steam" he definitely worked them out of his system long before putting this odd collection of songs on the market. And for that I applaud him. It was time to move on and he did. He took the high road and recorded what he had found in his heart and soul, not what his record company was probably begging him to produce.