release date: Dec. 19, 1989
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: Simon Rogers
label: Beggars Banquet - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Deep Ocean Vast Sea" - 3. "Crystal Wrists" - 5. "Seven Veils" - 7. "Cuts You Up" (4,5 / 5)
3rd solo album by Peter Murphy following nearly two years after Love Hysteria (Mar. 1988). Here Murphy crawls back in a more 'safe place' and makes his own pop / rock version of gothic rock. Murphy has often been compared to David Bowie but on this, he sounds more like another influential icon of his: Iggy Pop, and frankly, it doesn't really make things any better. It's nice to have sources of inspiration, it's not bad at all, that is, when you are able to point them out, and remember their personal traits, but it's not really original when an artist copies another as Murphy blatantly does here. As had been the case on Love Hysteria (1988), most tracks are co-written with guitarist and keyboardist, Paul Statham including one of Murphy's best songs ever: Cuts You Up. The remaining songs are not really near that level, and it's almost a mediocre attempt of doing justice to his most recent album, and if one had hoped to see / hear Murphy re-connect with what worked on his debut, it's not to be found on this one.
Only recommended for "Cuts You Up".
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]
