...2004, Vitamir Records.
Though I am a huge fan of PG, I had for a long time not thought of him as a melodicist - by which I mean someone for whom the musical element of Melody is an important building block.
When I think of PG's songs, I think of Timbres, rustling marimbas, double-headed Indian violins, wailing electric guitars, the Blind Boys of Alabama, etc. etc.
This CD reminds the listener of the melodic richness that does exist in many of PG's songs, from the jaunty Solsbury Hill thru funky Shock the Monkey to With This Love (the poignant tune that accompanies the final scene of The Last Temptation of Christ).
The arrangements are clever enough, though not particularly surprising or adventurous - the CD is a good example of coffee table music (there is at least one other CD in this series, which is the songs of U2).
The question at the back of my mind is "(apart from me) who would buy this record?"
If you're a string 4tet fan, it's probably a little on the light side - if a PG fan, you might miss the richer instrumentations of the originals.
BUT the album probably serves as an effective intro to PG's latest offering, which is an album of cover versions, I THINK accompanied by orchestra (certainly that's the way he's touring at present).
Comfortable, pleasant and inoffensive.
6/10.
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