It hasn't been easy being a Peter Gabriel fan for the last fifteen years or so. The failed OVO project, some inconsequential soundtrack contributions, the one proper album of new material was the murky Up, and then a glacial collection of symphonic covers. In fact, his best piece of recent work was his 2002 soundtrack to the film 'Rabbit-Proof Fence,' Long Walk Home. While on tour this last year for his orchestral covers record Scratch My Back with his orchestra, the first half of the show consisted of the SMB material, while the second half featured orchestral reworkings of his own material. Gabriel was so pleased with these new versions of his own tunes, he decided to release those on his latest album, New Blood. He continued working with arranger John Metcalfe on these tunes, the same arranger he worked with on SMB.
I guess Gabriel felt a bit more free and bold when tinkering with his own material, because New Blood is much more interesting and successful than Scratch My Back. This whole symphonic treatment thing is in vogue with older artists these days. Ray Davies played with his Kinks material through choral arrangements (it was OK). Sting did it with Symphonicities (which was terrible). I think Gabriel's symphonic versions are quite successful. It also helps that he is in fine voice here. He was so subdued on SMB, I was afraid that perhaps he had lost his range. Not so, as he shows here.
One of the keys is that he does not choose, for the most part, obvious or overly familiar songs. Yes, "In Your Eyes" and "Digging in the Dirt" are here (as is an obligatory "Solsbury Hill" tacked on at the end as a bonus track), but the bulk of the songs here dig pretty deep into his catalogue. And that works, the less familiar material is less tied down by expectations. The rules here are the same as on SMB, no electric instruments allowed. An occasional piano is the closest Gabriel gets to traditional rock instrumentation.
The most successful songs are the ones where he takes the most chances. The driving opener "The Rhythm of the Heat" is the perfect example. Gabriel tried to get the orchestra to replicate what he had done on the original with layers of percussion. The result, especially in the extended ending, reminds one of a bold Kronos Quartet piece, with the violins and cellos slashing and cutting sharply on top of one another into a thrilling crescendo. The orchestral setting fits some of his moodier songs quite well. The already creepy "Intruder" is made even creepier here with an ominous and brooding orchestral backdrop. The chestnut "In Your Eyes" is quite nice, and benefits from Gabriel's tinkering with the song for over 20 years, it features the extra verse that he often adds in concert and features nice dynamic shifts.
There are a couple of songs where these newer versions actually improve on the originals, such as "Mercy Street," "Wallflower" and "Darkness." The strongest song on the collection is a thrilling version of "Red Rain." While it won't make you want to toss out the original version from So (which is one of Gabriel's finest moments on record, afterall), it is an exciting and bold reinterpretation in its own right that at least matches the original's passion and conviction.
It is true, not everything works here. "Downside Up" is still a mediocre song, however you arrange it, and "Don't Give Up" (never a favorite of mine) is made even more irritating than the original, replacing the annoying Kate Bush from So with an even more annoying Ane Brun. "Digging in the Dirt" does not do anything interesting enough to warrant a new version, and the tacked on "Solsbury Hill" is too similar to its original version to be of much interest (in the liner notes, Gabriel himself admits he didn't want to do "Solsbury Hill," but due to popular demand at his shows, he did an arrangement. His lack of interest shows on that one, and is why it is tacked on merely as a bonus track). But the proper album's closer (before the bonus track), "The Nest That Sailed the Sky," is a lovely, almost ambient, instrumental version of a forgotten track buried on OVO. I would have preferred he end the album there and leave "Solsbury Hill" off altogether, because it is a really nice, moody closer. The jaunty version of "Solsbury Hill" wrecks the mood.
Overall, this record will not make you want to throw out your old Peter Gabriel albums in favor of these new versions, but the best of them can stand as interesting and often quite engaging reinterpretations. Now maybe he will finally finish I/O, which he has supposedly been working on for over ten years.
Rating: *** out of *****
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