Welcome to the 9 Lives of Peter Criss

Track Listing
1. One For All
2. Doesn't get better than this
3. Last Night
4. What a difference a Day Makes
5. Hope
6. Faces in the Crowd
7. Send in the Clowns
8. Falling All over again
9. Whisper
10. Heart behind these Hands
11. Memories
12. Space Ace


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Here was my review;

I had trepidation about this CD before I had even heard the first note, based on some of the comments made by others both here and on other sites.

But I kept an open mind and I am glad I did.

This album has so much soul, it leaks soul.

But on it;

One For All-Written for 9/11…this tune bears out Peter’s heart in how he felt regarding that terrible day. The song is a long tune and very worded, and at first you are not sure where he is going with it. But once you listen to the whole song you kind of understand his direction. It has a gospel feel to it. It’s a good tune.

Doesn’t Get Better Than This-The first blues tune of the album. Peter is reminiscing on the good old days. He even pays tribute to the Beatles on this one. And the female back up vocalist is excellent.

Last Night-The first real ballad of the album. This tune is gut wrenching heartfelt tune. The cool thing about this tune is that we get to hear Peter’s vocals in the lower registers, and it works well.

What A Difference A Day Makes-This tune while soulfull also has that hint of jazz to hit. This song would be right at home on a Brian Setzer Orchestra CD.

Hope-Originally written for Psycho Circus, Hope is the first rock song of the album. But it’s more of a blues-rock tune. This song feels like a BB King tune, and here again, we hear Peter signing in the lower vocal range, and he at times even sounds a little like BB King.

Faces In The Crowd-A second rock tune. This is one of those songs that starts out soft and the rocks it out later. It’s actually a very short song. But this is a song for the fans. It is in this tune that Peter thanks us.

Send In The Clowns-This is an old standard classic tune, covered by everyone from Sammy Davis Jr to Barbara Streisand. Peter puts his spin on it, and this version almost literally does leak with soul.

Falling All Over Again-Another classic Peter Criss ballad.

Whisper-This is a very slow jazzy tune that would be at home on a Chuck Mangione album. This tune is light years away from any KISS song. But Peter pulls it off.

Heart Behind the Hands-Here is another real BB King Bluesy kind of song. And here again we get to experience Peter’s different vocal ranges. This tune is one that will grow on you with time.

Memories-Not much to say on this one. Memories is another reminiscing tune and the last ballad on the album.

Space Ace-Pete’s tribute to Ace. Very beatlesque/David Bowie type of tune. Peter’s experiments with a vocal synth on this tune and it comes off well. And the jam session at the end of the tune, is a nice way to end the album.

One For All- Is a dare I say it, almost christian song about Sept 11, 2001, kind of about how it made Peter feel to watch the news footage, and how sad it was for him as a New Yorker.. How sad all the people in New York seemed after this happend in their city.. But in the end God was there to help them all through it all..

Doesn't Get Better Than This- Is a song that is for GiGi.. About how it is for him to be alone with her, just spending time watching movies and having time with GiGi.. A song Peter sings with Jen Johnson.. A great song..

Last Night- Seems to be about a past relationship Peter had with another.. Debra or Lydia I'm not sure, but how they never really had real love in the first place.. It's about the end of a relationship and the start or a real love..

What A Differance A Day Makes- Is a cover sung in the way is was written.. very slow and jazzy piano and mellow soft drumming, and Bluesy jazz guitar.. He did this song for his mother, I read where he use to hear his mom singing this song in the house a lot when he was growing as a boy, it was one of her favorite songs..

Hope- Was written for Psycho Circus and rejected which is a shame because it's much than the song that Paul wrote for Peter to sing I Finally Found My Way.. Hope is sang very well and would have been great..

Faces In The Crowd- Is about us the true fans, how we have been there to help Peter through all of his hard times.. with live crowd noises.. How Peter would look out and see all of us smiling every night and how those smiles would help him through any bad times he was having in his life.. This song is dedicated to us fans on the booklet..

Send In The Clowns- Is the song on the album that I was wondering about, if Peter could even sing it good.. Peter is great on this.. It's the song that was stuck in my head all day at work tody.. I kept asking people to sing it with me to try to get it out of my head, no one seemed to know what song I was talking about.. Anyway, slow and sang the way it was written, I love the arrangments and Peter's voice is great for this song..


Falling All Over Again- Is a love song about the best thing in Peter's life (GiGi) about how he keeps falling in love with her over and over again.. This song would be a hit on country stations if they would pick up on it, but it's by Peter Criss from KISS ya know.. a very touching song that I am gonna play for Brenda, I know she'll love it..

Whisper- Is just Peter on drums and a jazz guitar about just spending time in bed for a day on a rainy day and whispering to the one you love how much love them.. Very mellow and quite.. I get the idea that Peter is IN LOVE WITH GiGi all through this album..

Heart Behind These Hands- Is a song from a play that Peter tried out for and made it singing wise but he didn't get the acting right at all so he didn't get the part.. In my opinion the most soulful song on the album.. Ab song about love and God, Peter really really gets into this one.. The most up beat song on the album.. Great guitar, drums and singing by Peter through out this song.. Very bluesy..

Memories- Is about Peter growing up and finding out that dreams come true.. How it's memories that keep him going and to held them in your heart and close and never forgetting the things that make you happy.. For Peter in this song it seems to be his music..

Space Ace- For Ace Frehley, this is a very spacey song it reminds me of something David Bowie might have done back in the day, at the same time kind of Beatlesque(sp).. Vary whinney guiters and spacey lyrics about flying in spacships and finding your planet at the end you Ace's ACK and an inprov jam that ends the album, the guitar is played in this part of the song much the way Ace plays..

All in all, with all the bad reviews and stuff going around about One For All I wonder if these people are listening to the same album I am.. One For All is in my opinion the best solo effort from Peter so far.. There is more heart and soul in this than anything Paul, Gene, or even Ace has ever thought to have on anything they have done.. Production would remind you of the late 1970's or early 1980's quality wise but that kind of Prodution fits One For All in the best way.. This work is not modren it's jazzy bluesy mellow with show tunes that Peter likes for his own reasons in there too.. A great album from a great human who cares about more than just how much money he can make.. Peter has a heart that we could all learn from..

Get this CD and try to listen to it with the kind of heart and soul that the man that made it for all of us has..

good reviews!

I don't quite have the time to go into detail but I will say I think Peter traveled a hard road by layering multiple vocals by himself. The crisp, clean layering of his vocals along with Stan and Vini on his 78 Solo come to mind. The depth of much of OFA's material with such production quality would be somewhat sublime.

Then again, it isn't 1978, is it?

Just as a hypothetical, I wish Peter would have hooked up with Vini Poncia again for this album.

I think you are right. It is a good album, but I think Vini could have put it over the top.

i totally disagree about Vinnie Poncia...he would have made it too poppy...the cd is just about right, what is missing is someone to say, this part is off keyy, and this part of the song needs an over dub. Pete did better than most, for his first shot as a producer. not perfect by any means. but his heart is there. ...hell all of Kiss needs a good producer who will stand up to them to get the best product out of them...not "Yes" men

nightwingken wrote:i totally disagree about Vinnie Poncia...he would have made it too poppy...the cd is just about right, what is missing is someone to say, this part is off keyy, and this part of the song needs an over dub. Pete did better than most, for his first shot as a producer. not perfect by any means. but his heart is there. ...hell all of Kiss needs a good producer who will stand up to them to get the best product out of them...not "Yes" men

People always give a double take when the P-man is mentioned. I suppose we'd have to decide how much of Poncia's practice was based around the sounds of the time, because he seems like an adaquate "knob turner" as it is. Actually, I think he's retired or just fallen off the radar so it would be hard to analyze his work outside the late 70s and eary 80s bombastic pop times.

Looking at his resume he is on many albums I like as a co-writer, backing vocalist and guitarist...but the ones he produced are mostly career missteps for the artist. Interesting stuff.

While I agree that Vinnie would have made the album too poppy, I think he might have helped smooth out some of the rough edges that some people complained of.

Might have sold more copies.

BTW I like the rough edges on it.

I like it, as a matter of fact I'm listening to it right now.

Detailed reviews aren't really my thing, but I'll tell you this: It's a beautiful record and the one "new solo record" I listen to the most.

Well that's the best review yet, Catman!!!