Just to help us all, this self titled album has the same title as Peter’s 1978 Kiss solo album, “Peter Criss.” For me, I would have made this “Peter Criss II,” just adding a bit for organizational flair, but it appears not!
To add even more confusion, the first single from this album was a track we reviewed here called “Creepy Crawlers,” an Alice Cooper style Halloween track. What then happened was a horror punk band from Ohio called The Creepy Crawlers released a single called “Peter Criss,” in homage to the former Catman. Bizarre…
I will take things a bit further. Normally, we get a press release for an album. With that you typically get the music for review, some lyrics, approved pictures and some background on the artist; depending upon the agent. If we go off piste, as we do sometimes, such as one of us being a fan of the band, then we source the album, have a listen and do the review, never a problem. Then we come to this one! Mark, the Kiss fan on the team and one of the bosses, is helping the family for a few days and asked me to review this. It should be easy I say, and have a quick look on the streaming side. Remember, although physical sales are better for artists, streaming contributes 80% of all music listening in 2025. I buy some vinyl if I love the artist, but that is for my collection, I use streaming for 95% of my listening.
The team behind this release clearly want physical sales from fans, but in doing so they have seemingly neglected the streaming totally. Even on the artists bandcamp there are constant comments about people saying they cannot stream the music. I downed tools when I had spent a half hour trying to find the album on Spotify, Apple, Amazon etc and drew blank after blank. In an age of streaming, I cannot understand this from an established name in the business. Making the reviewer’s life easy helps for things as well! I have also never before seen an instructional video before telling you where you can actually get this album from. I’m sorry, but at this point the casual fan has long ago given up. It is awful from a promotional side. Going to Amazon I was also to locate his Kiss solo album in seconds and even get a streaming or physical copy of his “Out of Control” album, but nothing for the new album at all, not a dicky bird, one day after official release. Like a ghost. At the time of doing this review (the 20th) it has even been pulled from Bandcamp as a digital download. It appears the album’s release strategy is focused on digital purchases via specific platforms and physical media sales, but what an own goal. If the desire is to push those sitting on the fence toward a physical purchase you are losing 80% of the potential market at a stroke. You then are sliced downward even more to die hard fans who will put hand in pocket and buy a physical product. I don’t see it. It is not like Peter’s profile is huge. Sure, he was in Kiss originally and his album gained some interest in hard rock circles. But he was never, personally, hard rock. Peter was/is a jazz/swing musician with a distinctive voice, heard on tracks like “Hard Luck Woman,” “New Moon Over Brooklyn” etc.
Anyway, onto the review – I have access to things! But really…I never have a rant like this, it is just plain awful marketing and will create problems all round. Most people will just give up.
But here is the review:
Peter has said that he put his heart into this album and I do feel that from his fan base they will enjoy this and see a huge improvement on his previous release “One For All” (2007). This time he has a great team around him, Barry Pointer’s production gets things right and considering Peter has just turned 80 it is great that he still loves making music and wants to deliver something new. It is more than many of his past band members are doing. I approached it with some trepidation as “One For All” was not great, but I’m lending it my ear!
“Rock, Rockin’, Rock & Roll” (feat. Billy Sheehan and Paul Shaffer). I believe Peter does drum on the album. I liked his drumming best on Kiss “Alive II” and, even in Kiss, he had a kind of swing style as a drummer which you can definitely hear on this track. Musically, this slots style wise into the “Out of Control” album with that early rock n’roll feel that is very Peter (Think “Hooked on Rock n’ Roll” or “Kind of Sugar Papa Likes” from the ‘78’ release).
“In the Dark” (feat. Billy Sheehan and Paul Shaffer) is a decent track, albeit with some rather un-Peter like vocals. It is a track that is confidently delivered with a nice melody/tune and it comes with maturity.
“For the Money” (feat. Billy Sheehan and Paul Shaffer) is not a poke at Gene Simmons! It is an upbeat track and the introduction of female vocals adds a texture to the piece. I liked the female vocals on this one; it adds some variety. Vocally, the whole album is ‘interesting.’ Whatever they did in the studio gives a smoothness to Peter’s vocals generally. Obviously he is 80 now and at 80 you do not sound as if you are 30, so you lean on the studio production. They have done a good job overall. It’s no longer that distinctive Peter vocal sound, but it remains clear and distinctive, especially on this number.
“Murder” (feat. Billy Sheehan and Paul Shaffer) is a neat track that would appeal beyond the immediate fan base. My favourite tracks by Peter are “I Can’t Stop the Rain” (from ‘78’ solo and “New Moon Over Brooklyn” from ‘Cat#1’ in 1994) which showcases what he can do with that voice. This is as close as we get to that sound. It also has a strong guitar solo that stands out. Could be the best song on this album.
“Walking on Water” (feat. Billy Sheehan and Paul Shaffer) does not really fit this album. I’m not sure what Peter was after here, it seems like a poor take on the Seattle Sound, I have no idea why its here!
“Creepy Crawlers” (feat. John 5, Billy Sheehan and Paul Shaffer). Mark reviewed this single for us and described it as a song that “works like a horror movie soundtrack which plays out in the video that is removed at the time of writing! It is a very decent track, it is a modern horror rock sound that I was not expecting from Peter.” It is a surprising track, I agree and it is a strong choice for the single but is not indicative for the sound of the album. But WHY is the full video removed for the single off YouTube? It was up for a few hours on Halloween then it was replaced by the trailer. Why in December has the lead single not got its full video up? These are the things that really annoy me.
“Justice” (feat. John 5, Billy Sheehan and Paul Shaffer) has a strong tune. It slots into the album well and the guitar sound is solid. It does the business in how it plays and it is certainly better than anything from the last album. Sounds like it belongs in Cat#1, has a nineties edge to it.
“Cheaper to Keep Her” (feat. Billy Sheehan and Paul Shaffer) is a light track, easy fun that could slot happily into the ‘78’ album groove. It has a pleasing chorus with the female vocals back (good) and the general vibe of the piece is solid. You know…it isn’t cutting a new lane, but drives solidly enough and has Peter’s personality throughout.
“Sugar” (feat. Billy Sheehan and Paul Shaffer) is the ballad and it introduces an interesting rag-time feel. I like interesting ideas, something a bit more out of the box. It’s not a great track, but it is interesting.
“Rubberneckin'” (feat. John 5, Billy Sheehan and Paul Shaffer) introduces a bit of country feel into things. Now, I often review country music and I really am unsure why Peter decided to try that line here. I KNOW, that goes against what I just said re the rag-time feel of “Sugar,” but that fitted in. This was a bit of a misfire.
“Hard Rock Knockers” (feat. Billy Sheehan and Paul Shaffer) – this is a ‘bonus track’ that appears on pretty much all sale mediums. It returns to that groove from the ‘78’ album. Rock n’ Roll.
So, where are we with this? I will answer this first – I only heard this by tracking down a friend who had a physical copy and they played me the album down the phone! That is an absolute first for me as a reviewer lol. What is that about? You see, many older Kiss fans will buy the physical product anyway to support him, but would a general music fan who knows Kiss spend £15+ for a CD or £37 for the vinyl?
Looking online on the socials, many are making a lot of Peter’s age, I feel that should have nothing to do with it. If you are 80 or 16 we have covered you. What matters is whether we can recommend the music.
So, musically? This is a solid, often enjoyable late-career record that comfortably outperforms One For All and shows Peter still has swing, soul, and something to say.
But it’s been wrapped in one of the most baffling release strategies I’ve ever encountered. Decent album, bad release execution — and right now, the music is being let down by the mess around it. Which is a real shame, because for those who enjoyed his ‘78’ solo album this is the next best thing. It could have reached beyond that core base of support if it has a push.
One thing I can’t do is place a listening link here as I always do.
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