PASSION - MUSIC FROM THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST

This album is a perfect representation of traditional Middle Eastern and African music merged together through modern ambient textures. This album is absolutely not progressive rock nor pop rock oriented like some of the earlier Gabriel's albums: the repetitive rhythms based upon primitive acoustic percussions and drums take a major place on this long record. The exotic & primitive acoustic string, wind and percussive instruments + the musicians involved are SO NUMEROUS that the list would be almost longer than this review itself! The tracks also contain many SUBTLY floating modern atmospheric keyboards; many parts remind me some Brian Eno's ambient stuff, especially the "Fourth Worl Vol. 1 - Possible music" album, featuring Jon Hassell. The "Passion" album disturbs very much, since its mysterious, desolated and dramatic textures generate a certain amount of insecurity, tension and unease: this is amplified by many traditional moaning chants. This album is not very melodic: being definitely an acquired taste, it must be listened many many times on a HI-FI stereo before one can really appreciate all the grandeur that engender the slightly obscure textures!

The memorable oboe/English cor on the symphonic "With this love" is particularly POIGNANT: there is also on this album a beautiful version of it with a choir instead, reminding a bit the "Threnody for a duck" track on the "Peter & the Wolf" album, a prog fairytale. The 2 last tracks end the album on a more joyful and less disturbed note: the 21st (last) track even has the peaceful Enya's style, without the voice! No doubt: the talent and inspiration are there!!

Rating: 4.5 stars