Peter Gabriel’s ‘i/o’ Is All About Mankind, Mortality and Multiple Mixes: Album Review
variety.comChris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Before talking about the meat of Peter Gabriel’s new album, “i/o,” which stands for “input/output,” it is inevitable that initial discussion will focus on the level of output (or the lack of it) he’s had prior to this year.
It’s his first studio album of original songs in 21 years (and only the second in 31 years). For all that gestation time, many things have not changed in these ever-elongating gaps between albums.
Like: the returning core band of bassist Tony Levin, guitarist David Rhodes and drummer Manu Katché; the brooding tones that will occasionally give way to a bit of secular gospel or funk; the two-letter album titles (if we don’t count the bifurcating slash that pops up in the middle of this one).
But there are some shifts to consider, once you really go digging in the dirt to find the main concerns of “i/o.” Like: a 73-year-old man is much likelier to make an album focused largely on issues of old age and the ultimate transition than the 52-year-old from whom we last got a collection of fresh material.
Read more on variety.com