David Bowie's Haunting Last Album Reviewed

Blackstar album cover released January 8,2016

A lot of people were shocked to hear the untimely passing of David Bowie.The multi instrumentalist and songwriter had a well known reputation of being the 'chameleon' of rock spanning five decades of music.Bowie died of cancer which he hid from the public eye for a while just two days after his 69th birthday.

So Im going to write something about his last album which many have encountered as morbid and eerie perhaps.But really it is a typical David Bowie album uncannily similar to his releases back in the sixties and seventies.The only contrast that made the album different from the rest is that his demise came along with it that would've made the  listener feel it in a different manner or attitude.

Bowie has been known to be writing songs about darkness,evil and insanity.He is well fond of such compositions that he became an expert on fusing it with avant garde sound that made him unique from the rest of his peers.His 1969 hit,the so-called 'death in a capsule' song "Space Oddity" is one example of this and one strange album he had in 1971 called The Man Who Sold the World wherein he was wearing a dress on the cover with a deck of cards on his hand.Born David Robert Jones in 1947,he made his screen name so as not to confuse him with another singer Davy Jones which was also his contemporary in the sixties.

According to popular belief his main "inspiration" for writing such compositions about insanity was his aunt who had a case of Schizophrenia which prompted him to alienate himself from the rest of his family.In an interview he admitted of being petrified of using LSD back in the sixties for its ability to alter the mind though he was well known to have abused cocaine later on.

Going back to the album,Blackstar is a well produced artifact of rock eccentricity which has fused elements of darkness,death,evil and insanity.Many would've believed his knowledge of his own death could've contributed to his work[as depicted in the song "Lazarus"] but I won't say that this was his magnum opus for there's an older album of his that I could've preferred better.I would say that this album is a perfect tongue in cheek au revoir epitaph to the genius that is David Bowie.


Overall rating: 7/10

TRACK LISTING:

1.Blackstar
2.'Tis A Pity She Was A Whore
3.Lazarus
4.Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)
5.Girl Loves Me
6.Dollar Days
7.I Can't Give Everything Away

(c) 2016 Keith Vernon Adagio