Peaches and ‘Cream’

Notoriously nasty rapper tackles ageism and — gasp — singing on new album

 With Peaches’ fourth album, “I Feel Cream,” the self-dubbed queen of ‘electro-crap’ sleaze, we get the biggest shock of all — she can actually sing.

And the Toronto-born singer, whose breakthrough came when “F— the Pain Away” appeared in “Lost in Translation,” is also capable of a love song, as evidenced by “Lose You,” a tenderly rendered vocal performance balanced by lush patter and strobe-like beats.

“I always talk about expanding boundaries, so I had to expand my personal, vulnerable boundaries,” the woman born Merrill Nisker says by phone from her home of eight years, Berlin. “I didn’t sing on the first few records, and I did it on purpose, because I wanted a very direct approach.”

Peaches maintains her freak this go around (see “Serpentine,” “Mommy Complex”), but heretofore being self-produced, she lets go of her inner control freak, pulling in producer James Ford (of Simian Mobile Disco) and scaring up collaborations with Solex and Digitalism.

“I wanted to concentrate more on the songwriting and on the melodies,” she offers. “I did a lot of DJing and remixes last year, and I realized when [doing that] I focus more on the sound — so it’s danceable or whatever. I wanted to bring in other people to help out on production, so I could work on the songs.”

“Cream” has a further reaching and warmer approach than previous outings. “More” would’ve worked on Madonna’s “Ray of Light,” cutting hip-hop flow wraps around synth stabs on “Billionaire” and a rock ’n’ soul swagger makes up the backbone of “Talk to Me.” The in-your-face sexual politicking is present, but less caustic. She sets aside her Bush-bashing antics and takes aim at headier topics such as ageism instead.

“I’m really interested in making age cool,” she says of the closing track, “Take You On,” which nods to elder rockers like Bob Dylan, AC/DC and Tina Turner. “So, if anything, that’s the ‘political’ song. I’m referencing people like Mae West, ‘Come up and see me sometime’ and ‘An orgasm a day keeps the doctor away.’ And I have lyrics like, ‘Lick my crow’s feet.’”

At the mention of her trim 40-years-young figure, which gets a nightly hot-panted workout during her notorious live shows, you can almost hear her blush over the phone. “Oh, thanks!” she squeals. Then, cutting back with a Peaches jab, she says, “It’s all this Botox I do.”

Peaches
with Drums Of Death
Sunday, 8 p.m.
The Paradise
967 Comm. Ave., Boston
MBTA: Green B Line to
Pleasant St.
$18, 18+, 617-562-8800
www.thedise.com

Peaches
Friday, 9 p.m.
Theatre of the Living Arts
334 South Street
$20-$23, 215-922-1011
www.ticketmaster.com

Peaches
Saturday, 7 p.m.
Webster Hall
125 E 11th St, New York
$25, 21+, 212-353-1600
www.websterhall.com