"Scratch My Back" may be the most audacious album Peter Gabriel has been involved with.
That's saying something, considering his last album with Genesis was 1974's "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway," a sprawling prog-rock concept album about a Puerto Rican kid who ... well, go listen for yourself.
There's no discernible storyline for "Scratch My Back," In fact, Gabriel has chosen a dozen songs by other artists for his first album since 2002's "Up." (The upcoming counterpart album, "I'll Scratch Yours," will feature the same 12 performers remaking Gabriel's songs.)
It's not just a covers album, either. The arrangements are orchestral with no guitar or drums. There's a hushed beauty to each track which, depending on the source material, can be jarring or fitting.
Talking Heads' "Listening Wind" is a success, scratching strings building tension, its lyrics about a young man turning to terrorism more frighteningly resonant than when the original version appeared in 1980.
The beautiful simplicity of Lou Reed's "The Power of the Heart" shines thanks to a sympathetic arrangement and Gabriel's heartfelt reading.
Other attempts don't work as well. The humor of Magnetic Fields' "The Book of Love" gets lost in Gabriel's somber rendition. David Bowie's "Heroes" never takes flight and Bon Iver's "Flume" puts a gilt frame around a rustic landscape.
Download this: "Listening Wind"
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