Ninth

Ninth

• Shrink-wrapped

Peter Murphy s <i>Ninth</i> is his first solo album in seven years and the first since the permanent dissolution of Bauhaus in 2009. Produced by David Baron, <i>Ninth</i> is a culmination of where the singer has been and where he is now, all imbued with a confidence that has been Murphy s stock in trade. While countless performers and industry types bemoan the demeaning of music in current download culture, Murphy s only concern is continuing to connect with his audience with unparalleled honesty.<br><br><br>There s a sophisticated energy and psychic urgency to tracks like "Seesaw Sway," "Slowdown" and "Memory Go." Equally exciting are moments like "Velocity Bird," where Murphy gets his swagger on in the same wild kingdom where Iggy Pop s "streetwalking cheetah" prowled; the rocking "Peace To Each," where the singer ramps up his sinister quotient a few notches; the slow grooving head-nodder "Uneven & Brittle," and the brooding, atmospheric noir of "Secret Silk Society." On the convex, Ninth also features moments of warm poignancy, like the lover-comforting "Never Fall Out" and the melancholy closing track, "Cr¨me de la Cr¨me." But it s the album s first single, "I Spit Roses," that reconciles Murphy s melodic sophistication with his resignation toward the fate of Bauhaus