Bowie returns with 'Heathen'

Heathen
David Bowie
ISO records David Bowie is back with one of his best albums in almost twenty years. With a sound reminiscent of much of his work from the '70s, such as Ziggy Stardust, Young Americans and Hunky Dory, Heathen is a new Bowie album with an old Bowie feel. It is essentially a classic Bowie album without the terrific standout tracks that brought Bowie much of his current legendary status. It has a definitive feel that only Bowie can create and a sound that he has understated to the best of his abilities. The best thing about Heathen is the feel of the album. It feels like an old Bowie album, brimming with confidence, ambient rhythms and layered guitars. The drum loops are sometimes added alongside a studio drummer's beat. Although Pete Townshend plays guitar on "Slow Burn," you might have a hard time believing it's him by the understated approach. Much of the music on this album centers around Bowie's use of understated lyrics, guitars and electronic backing. As for standout tracks on the album, the opening track is a great way to start off any album. "Sunday" has a slow ambient beginning that crescendos and builds to a classic Bowie rock climax at the end and then fades into the next track, "Cactus." Originally a song recorded by the Pixies, Bowie performs it as a dirty blues song. "Cactus" is one of two covers on this album, the other being Neil Young's "I've Been Waiting For You." Both of these are great tracks. Although, none of the songs from this album come close to the great "Ziggy Stardust," "Young Americans," or "Rebel, Rebel," they don't detract from the quality of this album. For those of you who love all things David Bowie, this album won't disappoint you. For those fans that think that Bowie has lost his magic, this album will prove that he didn't lose it; he just wanted to do some new tricks.