KISS Peter Criss

Of all the members of Kiss, Peter Criss was the biggest mystery. The release of his 1978 solo album revealed a man who was the least interested in the hard rock music that Kiss made. In its place, Criss performed songs that veered from ‘50s-styled rock to easy listening and soft rock. A version of Bobby Lewis’ No. 1 1961 hit “Tossin’ and Turnin’” showed his love for oldies, while “You Matter to Me” (one of the album’s two singles; “Don’t You Let Me Down” was the other), was cowritten by the album’s producer Vini Poncia, who’d go on to produce Kiss’ next two studio albums, Dynasty and Unmasked. The emphasis here was on Criss’ Rod Stewart–like sandpaper croon. The thinking was that since Criss had been the voice of Kiss’ two Top 20 hits—“Beth” and “Hard Luck Woman”—he’d continue the streak with more soft rock. But while the album has several pretty ballads, it failed to make much of a connection with the Kiss faithful.