POP
Scratch My Back
Peter Gabriel
Universal
Three stars
Scratch my Back does not refer to a songwriter's itch. Peter Gabriel, the meticulous craftsman who makes records all in good time, has come up with an extravagant stopgap: For Scratch My Back he does songs written by others, who, in return, cover Gabriel songs on a second package ( I'll Scratch Yours) still to come. Gabriel's disc is gorgeous, mournful, down-tempo and cinematic, with minimalist orchestration in service of melody and coarse, affecting vocals. The versions of David Bowie's Heroes, Paul Simon's Boy in the Bubble and others by Arcade Fire and Radiohead are uniformly moving and unexciting. Reportedly, the Gabriel songs of I'll Scratch Yours are to be released as singles, issued each full moon. The man behind Selling England by the Pound, then, is now selling himself by the song.
Peter Gabriel and orchestra play Montreal's Bell Centre April 28 and 29.