Peter Gabriel
Us

THE REVIEW

Reflecting on it, I have almost never (or rarely) reviewed new productions, new artistic efforts. I always fall back on the classics, on what has already been seen and heard, but it is not something planned—rather a spontaneous attraction, a pull towards artists and works that are part of my life as a listener, that are inevitably part of the past that stretches into today. Yet, the concept of "new" is not unidirectional, on the contrary, it opens up to various meanings, such as "fresh," "ALWAYS new."

In this sense, many works (of mind and soul) by Peter Gabriel are always new, still shining today, with no dust settling on them.
"US" dates back to '92, but it still speaks of us—and of them ("them"). The co-production of Daniel Lanois, already involved six years earlier as an arranger and producer of what would become Gabriel's best-seller, "So," produces the desired effect for the artist, who, to this day, considers many of the songs included in "US" among his best, creating the right internal dynamics in the listener, who perceives, simultaneously, a cleanliness and a "roughness" in the sound.
Digging inside himself, Gabriel brings out the primordial that is within him and develops it, revealing it to the world in an unprecedented yet paradigmatic way, because the process is "old" for years (already from the third album, "Melt," in 1980, Peter had dived into the world of technology wedded to analog sound).

The "myth" of Adam and Eve perpetuates and coexists with the modern marriage, which fails, more or less "miserably", in a psychological tug of war, which often risks depleting the energy from both sides. Peter, in the 1980s, went through a series of therapy sessions, without coming out of it completely unscathed—but not destroyed. He is aware. Indeed, one of the titles considered for "US" was "Us: Consciousness," which—let's admit it!—although original and adequately conveying the idea, would have been quite heavy, didactic if you will, besides being anti-commercial (as "Melt" had also been, rejected by Atlantic for its experimental content).
As always, the English artist relies on the collaboration of many instrumentalists and many voices of great class and wide range, such as Sinead O'Connor, who in 1987, created the masterpiece "The Lion and the Cobra," her debut. Brian Eno (in "Love to Be Loved") and Peter Hammill (backing vocals in "Digging in the Dirt," along with Ayub Ogada and Richard MacPhail, a friend and collaborator of Peter since the Genesis) are recalled.

As always, the album title is deceptive, because "US," despite its brevity (monosyllabic), once placed on the record player, it reveals itself as a bomb of crafted and artfully united sounds. Peter, repeatedly self-described as "a mediocre musician but a good composer", gives his best, not renouncing formal perfection, even while "working from the heart". The warmth is alive, almost tangible, in the grooves of "US."

Though knowing the album centers on human relationships, taken both globally—at a social level—and personally by Peter—who has, as said before, a failed marriage behind— it must be noted, and realize that it is not just a work of introspection, where the artist would fall victim to his own ghosts and problems. It is an introspective album, but also explosive, hopeful, of rebirth: of awareness.

There is not just the wounded husband, but also the absent father, who in "Come Talk to Me" implores his daughter, Melanie, to talk to him, to "free (together) the pain," to reconcile; there is a man who needs warmth, steam, in "Steam", the lapping of water, to act as a second baptism, in "Washing of the Water"; a man sometimes in need of carnal impetus, full of libido, expressing in "Kiss That Frog", experiencing self-mockingly his condition as a man in the skin of a frog.

Seventh in line, "Digging in the Dirt", inspired by a psychological study on murderers, is pure catharsis, a mixture of emotions—anger, sexual desire, sense of loneliness, resulting sadness, desire for redemption. Accompanied by a video, to call it a masterpiece is an understatement, for which Peter won the Grammy (for best "short form videoclip"), "Digging in the Dirt" has become over the years a showcase piece, and during the Secret World Tour, Peter performs it wearing a helmet with a camera attached (like an antenna).

To close the concept, "Secret World", a postmodern mini-symphony, alternating calm moments with strong ones, with a precision and compositional finesse unique in the rock world. Gabriel takes listeners into his secret world—which is also theirs! This track explains the entire album: from the personal traumatic experience, of the broken marriage, to the experience of redemption-reconciliation with the audience, and with the “other” in general. This is "US". A global marriage.

Despite being less commercially successful than the previous "So", "US", over time, has gained notoriety and respect among enthusiasts. In my opinion, it does not surpass "So", neither conceptually nor artistically, but it is a worthy follow-up, "in a similar vein" yet not too much. There was already the massive hit, "Sledgehammer", replicated by "Steam"; there was already the explosive, cathartic opener "Red Rain", in which the artist implored "I'm begging you"; already "In Your Eyes" was a sort of "Secret World". In short, in "US", the structure of the previous Masterpiece is found, yet still, it's a big deal, being a Peter Gabriel album, very enjoyable, special among specials. If not a masterpiece, it's at least a classic of the '90s that every music enthusiast should know and have in their collection.