This album has been run roughshod over since the day it was released. Its critics lambaste it for not sounding like a KISS record, which isn't entirely true - many of the songs on this album have a similar feel to the group's cuts that feature Criss prominently, (think "Nothin' To Lose," and "Mainline"). Probably due to the (much-deserved) success of Beth, Criss has never been recognized as the fine r&b/soul vocalist he truly is, and more than any other member of the band, he went into the studio to produce the album he couldn't make within the confines of KISS. With a rasp somewhere between Bruce Springsteen and Rod Stewart, Criss tempers the expected ballads with equal doses of rock and funk. Opener "I'm Gonna Love You" is a first-rate soul stomper, complete with punchy horns and Supremes-style back-ups. "Easy Thing" and "I Can't Stop the Rain" are big, epic love songs that Criss and his sandpaper lungs deliver beautifully, and his snappy version of "Tossin' & Turnin'" holds its own.

KISS were at the height of their popularity when the solo projects were released, and Criss could easily have stuck with the tried and true and been assured of strong sales. Daring to be different requires guts and should be commended, especially

when the end result is a fine album such as this.

The KISS solo albums provided an interesting look at how each band member's style came out apart from the band. For the Cat Man, Peter Criss, who didn't sing enough songs, this was the perfect opportunity for his feline self to emerge. His album is a mixture of soulful piano and brass rock and slow ballads. There's nothing here that rocks as hard as anything from the KISS to Love Gun albums. Most of the material is mid-paced to downright mellow. There's a lot of personality in Criss's raspy voice, which is really heartfelt in the ballad songs. He also steps away from the drums in half the songs.

"I'm Gonna Love You" sports piano, rock guitar, a brass section and some soulful backing vocals.

"You Matter To Me" with the Farfisa-like synthesizers, could be easily remixed into an old school disco tune.

Peter does a decent and rousing cover of the insomniac "Tossin' And Turnin'" with a pair of soulful female backup singers. Curious that this was the one track that KISS fans really liked.

The sad Elton Johnesque "Don't You let Me Down" is the first of four sad killer ballads. The second, my favourite song here, "Easy Thing," as in "Love is such an easy thing to lose," is backed by strings, and actually outdoes "Beth" in its heartfeltness. The lullaby-like "Kiss The Girl Goodbye" with lines as "Time for me to fly/I will be home some day/baby please wait for me" might be a sequel to "Beth." Some of the guitar work reminds me of Heart's "Dog & Butterfly." And "I Can't Stop The Rain," another tearjerker with strings that become powerful with the chorus: "I can't stop the rain/here it comes again/lightning strikes across the sky/I can't stop the rain/here it comes gain. because lightning only blinds my eyes." At one point, he substitutes the words "it takes a witch to curse that g-----ned sky" for the last line in the chorus.

The rollicking "That's The Kind Of Sugar Papa Likes" could've been done by Blondie, say, Eat To The Beat era if they erased the soul edge to it. Steve Lukather from Toto does a guitar solo.

"Rock Me Baby" and "Hooked On Rock 'N' Roll" are songs in the same vein as "I'm Gonna Love You."

Vini Poncia co-wrote many of the songs with Criss, did backing vocals, and in addition to producing this album, would be the hand behind Dynasty and Unmasked, which, depending on how KISS fans view those albums, may not put him in a favourable light. I don't know--I liked those albums good enough. Despite being the lowest selling of the four KISS solo albums, Peter Criss's one remains my favourite.

In 1978, at the height of KISS's popularity, rather than release a new studio album, all four members simultaneously released a solo album. Although critics have often called this nothing more than a gimmick, there is no denying the quality of these recordings. All four albums are well written and crafted. All four members of KISS really put their heart and soul into this project and made a solo album that really reflects their personality. KISS was like a stew, made up of four separate ingredients. The KISS solo albums of 1978 really let you see each member and what it is exactly they brought into KISS.

This R&B style album unfortunately never clicked with the KISS Army. Peter Criss's album is the most unfairly treated by both fans and critics. This is the worst selling and least popular among fans. It still sold over a million copies, but it never got the acclaim that it should have. A lot of KISS fans seem to hate this album. If your looking for a great, fast and heavy rock n' roll album, you will probably be disappointed with the Peter Criss album. It is by far the least rocking album of the four. Although this is still a rock album, it is also heavily flavored with R&B. Criss's jazzy playing in KISS and raspy vocals might have been indicative of his musical backbone.

If you just want to relax and chill out, this is a good album to put on. The Peter Criss album has a mid-tempo pace, but is never boring or tepid. Each song is interesting and the album as a whole has a good pace. The songs can roughly be split in half between mid-tempo rockers, and ballads. The highlights include the opening rockers "I'm Gonna Love You," and "Tossin' and Turnin'" and the ballads "Don't You Let Me Down" and the closing "I Can't Stop the Rain."

This is not a very challenging album; it's more of an easy-going, pleasant listen. However, this album has a lot of good things going for it-well written songs with good hooks, a good backup band, tight production; but the album's real charm is the sincerity that Peter Criss put into the songs. It is evident by listening to these songs that he worked really hard and put a lot into making a heartfelt album.

Peter Criss's album is not the best of the four, but it's certainly a solid effort. If you've never cared for it, I recommend revisiting it with an open mind. You may be surprised.

From what I know about Peter Criss tends to be the whipping boy of Kiss. Considered to be one of the lesser talents of the group and often made fun of to a degree for his feline makeup Criss probably had more to prove with this solo album than Gene,Ace or Paul did. He was the drummer after all. A position that,in rock bands often causes one to be left somewhat behind. Also his time in the band would be limited after this due in large part to chemical abuse problems. Being the only Kiss member to leave and/or get the boot (depending on who tells the story) reputation kind of set him up for a hard fall. But in all honesty this is by the far the most unique and individual of the Kiss solo albums. And that's largely because this album doesn't sound a thing like something made by somebody in Kiss.

Not for a minute is that meant to imply this album doesn't rock. Because it does. But it rocks more in the way Bruce Springsteen or Mick Jagger does. His interest in jazz already apparent,not to mention his inclusion of Steve Lukather and John Tropea on these sessions but he apparently has more than a passing interest in R&B as well. The rockers such as "I'm Gonna Love You","That's The Kind Of Sugar Papa Likes","Rock Me,Baby" and "Hooked On Rock N Roll" all have that swaggering New York rock n soul sound mixed with a little Stonesy crunchiness as well. "You Matter To Me" is a strong highlite, a keyboard oriented pop-funk number with a great groove and a strong hook to it. On "Easy Thing","Don't Let Me Down" and "I Can't Stop The Rain" Criss has full command of the rock n soul ballad sound as well,with some orchestration that's somewhat toned town compared to it's somewhat theatrical use on

.

For someone who has had limited knowledge of Kiss's music until now,it's strange I decided to go for these albums first. I suppose it's because I see rock stars a personalities more than anything unified. And since these albums were more about expressing an individual personality than anything,that's probably why I gravitated towards them. And none of them are actually disappointing at all. And they also help understand what each member bought to Kiss in particular. Because a majority of hard rock bands depend so much on performing and musical theatrics for attention it's often hard to tell who exactly is doing what on some of those records. All the same it's projects like these that may help answer those questions for people such as myself,who are very much outsiders looking in. For that reason,I'd recommend this album in particular.

I first got this on 8-track and use to listen to it all the time. I just recently purchased it here on Amazon and could not believe the difference! This remastered CD version is excellent. I was hearing things that could never hear from an 8-track player. I also finally heard Peter's soulful voice and was blown away at his singing. This is a nice departure and some great singing to boot.