Peter Gabriel
New Blood
(REAL WORLD PRODUCTIONS LTD)

Peter Gabriel never released solo albums in any great rush. His previous release, Scratch My Back, had him covering songs for other artists while his latest, New Blood, sees him reworking his own with a 46-piece orchestra backing.

“San Jacinto” is a tight little plucky reworking of a song from Gabriel’s forth album with a great lilting piano, strong strings and flutes following Gabriel’s voice, which sounds strong throughout. Really, the guy hasn’t lost much vocally I am happy to say! “The Rhythm Of The Heat” the opener from the same album, sounds rather much like the actual studio recording from ’84.

“Intruder” showcases Gabriel’s voice perfectly and “Wallflower,” one of the lesser known tunes, is spectacular and features just Gabriel and piano and cello. This was always a favorite of mine and here its poignancy comes through in the spare arrangement.

“Don’t Give Up” really doesn’t bring anything new; in fact it’s not very good at all, sorry to say. “The Nest That Sailed The Sky” is a pretty instrumental and “ A Quiet Moment” is just that, an ambient moment of bird sounds and water tinkling and is a complete waste of time.

The second CD of the set is full orchestra instrumentals of the same tunes.

I like New Blood ok, but I’m waiting for Peter Gabriel to release some new original music.