Pater Gabriel “Scratch My Back”
Standouts - “Heroes,” “The Power of the Heart”

For “Scratch,” Gabriel hit on two conceits: He not only banished percussion but also rock’s other great crutch: guitars. More, he pushed aside his own writing to concentrate on the songs of others. Gabriel plucked material from the kind of forward-thinking contemporaries you’d expect (Bowie, Paul Simon, Talking Heads), as well from some ambitious, younger artists you might not (Arcade Fire, the Magnetic Fields, Bon Iver). In a sense, he’s “acting” the songs, emphasizing the lyrics in ways that illuminate all the nuances, some previously hidden. Gabriel’s take on “Heroes” may lack Bowie’s grandeur, but it has its own hushed and broken urgency. His version of Lou Reed’s “The Power of the Heart” brings a beauty to the melody its minimalist author couldn’t hope to.