Peter Gabriel: Scratch My Back

I usually don't like to review cover albums, but this one asks.. make that demands, to be taken seriously.  Peter Gabriel on Scratch My Back has produced an album that salutes the intricacies of songwriting and each individual songwriter that he covers. As he explains on his website, this is the first of two albums.  The second will be a compilation of the artists that he covers here, doing his songs. It will be called I'll Scratch Yours. Clever.

Luckily Gabriel decided not to perform the songs as they were originally intended...truly making each his own.  He accomplishes this by holding up each on the gentle touch of subtly orchestrated strings to allow the true songwriting craft to show through.

Some of the artists and songs covered here, you will undoubtedly recognize...David Bowie (Heroes), Paul Simon (Boy in the Bubble), Randy Newman, (I Think it's going to Rain Today),  Neil Young (Philadelphia)...each work all nestled in a new sound and unique feel.  But it's some of the cuts that you're maybe not that familiar with that really shine...Talking Heads (Listening Wind),  Magnetic Fields (The Book of Love),  Lou Reed (The Power of Your Heart),  Justin -Bon Iver' Vernon (Flume), Elbow (Mirrorball).

One warning: this is not a party album by any means. Some may call it too quiet and ponderous then toss it aside.  But they will be missing out on the experience you have when you are listening to such well written songs presented with the skill and the voice of Peter Gabriel's utter adoration.

Best Cuts (though just about all are great) : Boy in the Bubble,  Heroes, Listening Wind, Power of your Heart,  The Book of Love, Philadelphia.

More ticket giveaways this Sunday on Hunter At Sunrise (7-11am eastern streaming live here at hunteratsunrise.com). Tickets to see Amos Lee, Ben Folds, and a show featuring Mat Kearney & Ingrid Michaelson will be given away.

Mat Kearney & Ingrid Michaelson, will play the Norva on Sunday, March 21st,  and we will have tickets this Sunday and also the day of the show.

Mat Kearney is an American musician born in Eugene, Oregon, now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Kearney has received critical acclaim and widespread recognition for his Columbia Records debut, Nothing Left to Lose. So far, he has a total of 4 top 20 hits on the Adult Top 40 Chart.

Ingrid Michaelson is a New York-based indie-pop singer-songwriter best known for her single "The Way I Am." Her music has been featured in episodes of several popular television shows, including Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy[2] and One Tree Hill,[3] as well as in Old Navy's Fall 2007 Fair Isle advertising campaign.

Philadelphia Singer/Songwriter, Amos Lee, will visit the Norva on March 24th and we will have 4 pairs of tickets to give away to the show between now and then.

Lee released a self-produced EP that featured five songs in 2003, and was signed by Blue Note Records soon afterward. The EP sold well in Philadelphia, catching the attention of Norah Jones. Jones invited Lee to open for her on her 2004 tour. Lee has also taken part in shows with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Paul Simon and John Prine. Some people think his music is a mixture of Folk and R&B. He has publicly said, "I've always gone for that folky-R&B sound for my music."

Since 2003, Lee has released three critically acclaimed cds Amos Lee, Supply & Demand, and Last Days at the Lodge.

National Recording Artist, Ben Folds, will bring his show to the Norva, March 20thand we will be giving away 4 pairs of tickets up till then. In 1995, Ben Folds Five released their self-titled debut album. The debut was followed by Whatever and Ever Amen in 1997, and the odds-and-ends compilation Naked Baby Photos was released in early 1998. Whatever spawned many hits, such as "Brick", "Song for the Dumped", and "Battle of Who Could Care Less". In 1999, the band released their final album, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, which included the hit, "Army".

Folds has described his former band as "punk rock for sissies", and his oddball lyrics often contain nuances of depression, melancholy, self conflict, and humorous sarcasm, often punctuated by profanity.

As of 2008, Folds had released six solo LPs, including an experimental side project called Fear of Pop, which was released while Ben Folds Five was still together. On April 28, 2009, Folds released Ben Folds Presents University A Cappella, an album consisting of college student's a cappella arrangements of his music performed by some of the country's best college a cappella groups.

About Hunter At Sunrise:

I must say I find it hard to describe Hunter At Sunrise as a radio show. It's a program dedicated to laying down a laid back vibe for your Sunday morning. There's new music, there's very old music...there's acoustic rock, jazz, blues, americana, celtic, new age, folk, electronica, R & B, anything that will fit into a mix that takes you away from the stress of the work week (singer/songwriters and local artists are welcome). I take the saying "A quiet place between last week and this week" very seriously. If there's commentary on current events, I let the music do it. But, in short, the show is designed for relaxation.

I try to have an acoustic session each week with a National, Regional or Local Artist.