Peter Gabriel
Scratch My Back

Trad.B (free): Scratch My Ass

There is nothing to be done.
The script is the same for all those artists now "visibly tired" and on the market for too long (which are not even few).

On one hand, inspiration is lacking, on the other (I suppose) there's the record label pressing and breathing down their necks. In short, from Patty Smith to Bruce Springsteen passing by Bob Dylan or Brian Ferry, all of them sooner or later resort to redoing songs by others.
On the Italian front, there are countless examples: from Vasco to Pooh, from Avion Travel to Claudio Baglioni passing by Vanoni, all of them eventually churn out their own cover album, which looks fine, doesn't commit much and (evidently) earns just as much as an album of originals. We all know: people buy the name, not what they're going to listen to.

And even the former voice of Genesis gives in on this front, with this "Scratch My Back" (February 2010) which is nothing but an acoustic and intimate reinterpretation (piano, cello, and little else) of some masterpieces (more or less famous) by other illustrious colleagues: we're talking about Bowie's Heroes, Radiohead's Street Spirit, Talking Heads' Listening Wind, Paul Simon's The Boy in the Bubble, and others.

The experiment, as much as it doesn't bring anything new, would be "also" pleasant. Especially if put as a relaxing background after 9 hours of office work. No surprises, no out-of-the-box arrangements, nothing shocking...
The limit lies precisely here: 13 songs flattened by Gabriel's "tired" voice which managed to smooth the tension that existed in pieces like Heroes or to render a song like Paul Simon's limp. Just a few pieces are saved here and there (Listening Wind with the string quartet that maintains its hypnotic pace without ever breaking into something stronger or the great string weaving in the final part of My Body is a Cage) and little else.

A terribly tired album that tires us just at the thought of listening to it a second time.

Oh sure: everything extremely refined, cultured, classy, a bit snobbish (at times it reminds one of the operation carried out by the latest Sting) but in the end, things must be said as they are: the Archangel has sat down and slacked off.
It's just a pity that to give him another chance we will have to wait another 4/5 years (his biblical production times are legendary) and who knows if by then he will return to his ways or if we will have to endure an album of words recited over third-rate new age tunes. Minimal effort, maximum yield. Or not?

And now you choose the most appropriate translation for the title at the top of the review. I've already cast my vote, but I don't want to influence anyone....