Peter Criss

Peter Criss is the album furthest from KISS’s core sound among the 1978 solo quartet. The feel of R&B, pop and soul comes to the fore rather than hard rock, and it reveals Peter Criss’s true face as a vocalist who loves warm grooves and singing — a singer before a drummer. Relaxed rhythms and lyrical melodies, not racing rock, hold the center, leaving a plain, human expression unlike KISS’s flashy show. His own musical roots, hard to imagine from the role he played within the band, become sound directly here. As a result, listeners expecting KISS’s hallmarks will be caught off guard, yet this very range is part of what makes the solo project interesting. The most personal of the four and the one that steps furthest from KISS, it stands as an intriguing record for understanding Peter Criss’s musical background.