I could fill pages talking about this album. But, in short, this is the definition of ‘masterpiece’. Bowie’s greatest, imho. I was lucky enough to see the band (Donny McCaslin’s quartet) live the year after this came out, was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to.
I don't know Bowie very well, but this album is remarkable.
THAT is what I call a swansong. This album is close to perfect and shows well what Bowie could do, even close to the end. I like the fact that it is very jazzy, the electronic bits were less a novelty in his career but still enjoyable. I find the opening track a bit irritating though.
Listening to this album is almost unbearably poignant. I can’t help remembering the first time I heard it, sharing the experience with friends on the internet, thrilled that we were hearing a new Bowie album. We puzzled at the lyrics, especially the references to death, and enjoyed the cheeky bits about someone grabbing his cock. There were even callbacks to his very first album that we had listened to not long ago. Then we got the news …
It has been a while since I listened to this, but I still think that it's brilliant. Perhaps if it wasn't Bowie's parting gift I'd see it in a different light. But it was, so I can't.