release date: Oct. 19, 2004
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Gardner Cole
label: Viastar - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Idle Flow" - 2. "Kiss Myself" - 3. "Piece of You" - 4. "Face the Moon" - 8. "Give What He's Got" - 9. "Blinded Like Saul"
7th studio album by Peter Murphy following 2½ years after Dust (Apr. 2002), which saw him experiment with world music and Turkish music tradition in particular. In that respect, Unshattered appears much more like a natural follow-up to Cascade (Oct. 1995), his final studio album on Beggars Banquet. For the new album, he has teamed up with American producer Gardner Cole, who previously has worked mostly in a dance and synthpop arena, which alone indicates a shift in sound. Former co-composer Paul Statham is back and has composed music on six of the album's eleven songs. The credit list of featuring musicians count several acclaimed names including two members of Porno for Pyros: guitarist Peter DiStefano (who also performed with Murphy on his 'aLive Just for Love tour') is composer of two songs, on which he also plays guitar, and drummer Stephen Perkins, credited on three songs. Former Wham! and George Michael bassist Deon Estus is featured on three tracks, American session musician Eric Avery is bassist on two tracks, and producer Cole is also bassist on three tracks aside from overall handling keyboards, guitar, piano, and percussion on several songs. American session guitarist Tim Pierce is here on most tracks, whereas none of the musicians nor technical personnel from Dust reappear, but then former Bauhaus drummer Kevin Haskins is heard on track #9. The album is Murphy's only on Viastar - in fact it seems to be only one in a total of three releases on this label, all released in 2004.
Unshattered is return to his usual style of dark alt. rock with bonds to gothic rock. Sometimes he revists the darker corners of the style reminding us of Bauhaus, at other times he croons in lighter spheres, although, his vocal always seems to be returning to the shadows.
To his usual standard, the album contains fine moments and adds to the list of Peter Murphy staples, although, as a full-length studio album, it's simply too incoherent with too much filling to be considered one of his better outings.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]
