Having been a Gabriel fan since the late 70's, early 80's, his album of "Us" released in 1992 was a treat blending classic Gabriel styles with some new sounds sure to please. I loved Gabriel back in the Genesis days, he took risks, in the "Supper's Ready" days he dressed up as a flower and for me, really "made" the band. When he went solo in later years, I wasn't sure what to expect - but his later three releases of "Us", "So" and "Shaking the Tree" have been impressive.
The album kicks off with "Come Talk to Me", a powerful song about relationships that starts out slow but gains momentum and sucks you in by the end of the song. "Love to Be Loved" is a song for everyone -we can all relate and again, starts out with subtle lyrics and a light beat that excels as the song goes on. "Blood of Eden" is a little slow for me, and "Steam" - one of the cuts overplayed on the radio gets the album energy up. "Washing of the Water" into "Digging in the Dirt" moves us into classic Gabriel style with "Digging" being one of my favorite tracks depicting the reason we all need to get into our own heads.
"Fourteen Black Paintings" doesn't move me and "Kiss that Frog" is a bit to "poppy" for my liking. However, the album rewards at the end with a 7 minute version of Secret World - a beautiful song that piques our interest and then brings in all home as the final song. If you like this one, get your hands on "So" and "Shaking the Tree" and if you dare, try some of the earlier Gabriel stuff and some of the classic Genesis -if he ever comes around again in concert - DON'T MISS IT!



Recommended: Yes