CD Review of New Blood by Peter Gabriel

New Blood is sort of a new Peter Gabriel album. Gabriel takes a baker's dozen of his previously released songs and backs them with a chamber orchestra instead of his usual synthesizer-heavy ensemble. Make new mistake - there are no new PG songs on New Blood, but there is new PG music.

The new orchestrations feature Gabriel's voice and lyrics front and centre. Gabriel's voice has changed since many of the songs were first recorded. He attacks many of the songs differently, most notably in "Intruder", originally released with a hypnotically thunderous drumbeat back in 1980. Instead of shouting the song as on the original version, Gabriel silkily hisses, using his voice to mimic creeping feet.

New Blood History

New Blood is the sequel to Scratch My Back (2010) where Gabriel did unique cover versions of other people's songs backed by a 54-piece chamber orchestra. Like many of Gabriel's plans, they tend to go far differently than he originally planned. The original sequel was going to be And I'll Scratch Yours where the writers of the songs on Scratch My Back covered a song of Gabriel's. That project has been indefinitely postponed because only half of the artists responded.

While rehearsing for the New Blood tour with an orchestra, Gabriel realized that he only had an hour's worth of material. In order for concert-goers to get their money's worth, Gabriel had collaborator John Metcalf reinterpret some of his classic songs, such as "Solsbury Hill" and " San Jacinto." After the strong reception these songs received on tour, Gabriel decided to record them properly and flog it.

Difficult Decisions

Tracks on the normal CD version also include fan favorites like "Mercy Street," "Red Rain," "Digging in the Dirt" and "Rhythm of the Heat." Gabriel stuck with songs that he thought contained his best lyrics and that Metcalfe could breathe new sounds into without altering their recognizable tunes. For the most part, Metcalf and Gabriel succeed.

Fans used to drums and guitars will be disturbed to hear violins and oboes. Some fans will flat-out hate these changes. Melodies have not been tampered with, but harmonies and the overall color of the music has. Imagine the Mona Lisa painted by Picasso and you've got a good idea what New Blood is like.

Gabriel, long known to be a perfectionist, manages to insert his usual sonic quirkiness in this orchestral album. One track, "A Quiet Moment" is not a song but a few minutes of wind recorded at the top of the real Little Solsbury Hill not by Gabriel, but by his long-time engineer, Richard "Dickie" Chappell. Unfortunately, this sound experiment brings the CD to a screeching halt, especially since it's placed after a short instrumental "The Nest That Sailed the Sky." If possible, program your CD player to skip "A Quiet Moment."

The highlight is "Red Rain," where the thunderous drums and synthesizers of the 1986 original are replaced by the thunder of Gabriel's matured voice, a touch of brass and the deep echoing moan of cellos. That's one that will wear out the "repeat" function on your CD player.