★★★★★
Blackstaris the second burst of creativity since David Bowie’s recording hiatus ended three years ago, and sadly marks his final opus.
It also happens to be one of the most nuanced, experimental and concise records from any point in Bowie’s career. With the help of Tony Visconti and the Donny McCaslin Quartet, it stretches out into a jazzy world with intoxicating results.
Creating an all-encompassing world of music, it’s mystifying from the start, with prayer-like vocals and wordless harmonies dancing over erratic drums, saxophone stutters and eerie strolls into the blues – and that’s just the title track. Pulling away from his previous guitar-driven albums, Bowie leans towards the rhythmic partnership of drums and bass as the bedrock to allow ample space for saxophone and keys.
Lyrically, the album treads between nonsensical and intensely relatable, using Bowie’s ability to stretch one’s imagination with lines like “She punched me like a dude,” and “I’m so high it makes my brain whirl / Drop my cell phone down below”. Album closer ‘I Can’t Give Everything Away’ displays Bowie’s voice in raw form, with lyrics that now hold even greater import as the iconic artist’s farewell.
Blackstar shows Bowie had lost none of his experimental edge, still challenging traditional form and structure, all resulting in a spellbinding album to truly complement the imagination. His last was one of his best, and an exemplary way to celebrate his outstanding contribution to art.
