Label: Real World/Virgin

Tracks:

1. Darkness (6.51)
2. Growing Up (7.33)
3. Sky Blue (6.37)
4. No Way Out (7.53)
5. I Grieve (7.24)
6. The Barry Williams Show (7.16)
7. My Head Sounds Like That (6.29)
8. More Than This (6.02)
9. Signal To Noise (7.36)
10. The Drop (3.03)

Musicians:

• Peter Gabriel. Vocals/Keyboards/Guitar
• David Rhodes. Guitar
• Tony Levin. Bass/Stick
• Manu Katche. Drums/Percussion
• Steve Gadd. Drums
• Peter Green. Guitar
• Danny Thompson. Double Bass.
• Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Vocals
• Youssou N'Dour. Vocals
• The Blind Boys of Alabama. Vocals
• Yacine Ould Nana (from Mauritania). Vocals

From Youssou N'Dour's band:

• Babacar Faye. Senegalese Percussion (e.g. bar, Djembe). Habib Faye. Bass/Keyboards. Hassan Thiam. Senegalese rcussion (e.g. Sabar, Djembe)
• B'Net Houariyat. Moroccan female vocal group
• Gopal Shankar Misra. Vina (a sitar type instrument)
• Hukwe Zawose and his nephew Charles (from Tanzania). Thumb Piano
• Jocelyn Pook. String arrangements
• Ayub Ogada. Vocals/Nyatiti
• Christian Chevretel. possibly trumpet, trombone or keyboards
• Dominic Greensmith. Drums
• Hossam Ramzy. Percussion
• Mahut Dominique. Percussion
• Ged Lynch. Drums
• Will White. Drums
• Melanie Gabriel. Vocals
• Daniel Lanois. Guitar (on Sky Blue)

After 10 years since their latest "normal" album, many things have changed in the musical vision of Gabriel the master, and it is undoubtedly obvious in this new work, although it keeps having the personal spirit of the same old Peter. What we appreciate is that Peter tries to adapt to the current times as he can, and a good proof of it is the presence of some influences from

bands as Massive Attack and Portishead, clearly noted in tracks as "Growing Up"

"The Barry Williams Show", "My Head Sounds Like That", "Darkness or Signal to Noise".

Also, in spite of the large quantity of African musicians who collaborate in the album, there isn't as much ethnic sound as in "Us", there aren't so many "World Music", and not so many people with environmental African or oriental atmospheres as it had in that one, so for moments the modern trip-hop-like rhythms have not stolen anything of protagonism to the African sounds. For the most part, tracks with song structures, which makes the album, in this aspect, to be nearer to "So" than to "Us". I do not say that here one can find tracks with hook as "Sledgehammer", "Big Time", "Digging in the Dirt or Steam", etc. "Up" is a less commercial album in this way, because the single "Growing Up", with those dance rythms that don't convince me, is a discrete song IMHO.

Very good tracks as "Darkness" are in the old gabrielian style of the first 80's, but updated. Many ballads as "Sky Blue", "Not Way Out" with many ethnic percussions, "I Grieve" that might fit in "Us", the beautiful "My Head Sounds Like That", or the sad "The Drop", with only a piano and his voice, and "Signal to Noise" with brilliant string arrangements, one of the best tracks of the disc, where the deceased 5 years ago "Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan", takes part, is the proof that Peter has employed him in the album during all this time, probably from Us's appearance.

It's a darker and deeper album than the previous ones, IMHO lower than "So" and "Us" and much lower than the albums 3 and 4, but very well made and with a lot of care, as expected from a great musician as Peter. A very ambitious, perfectly produced album, up to the last detail. He has had plenty of time, 10 years. Another thing is the inspiration that he has had in the moment of composing. Overall, a nice albm. Everything depends on the taste of the listener.

Rating: 7/10

Ferran Lizana