David Bowie, Blackstar | Album Review 💿

On his final studio album, Blackstar, David Bowie delivers a superb, supremely creative effort that never misses the mark.

On what would end up being his final studio album, Blackstar, David Bowie never misses the mark. Though only comprised of seven tracks, Blackstar is a superb, supremely creative effort that stimulates both the mind and the ears. All seven songs that grace the album are well written and performed.  Truly, Bowie left the world with a certified masterpiece.

Ranking The Songs From David Bowie’s Blackstar  

“Blackstar” 

✓  🤩 “Blackstar” is the most ambitious song on the album; Bowie truly outdoes himself.  Characterizing it as both dark and enigmatic would be an understatement.  Despite its utter blackness, “Blackstar” has a beauty about it, constructed by its Middle Eastern musical cues coupled with elements of jazz and soul.  It’s a delightful 10 minutes, even with its dark and twisted vibes, dabbling in the hellish.

“Man, she punched me like a dude / hold your mad hands, I cried / ‘Tis a pity she was a whore.” ✓ “Tis A Pity She Was A Whore,” and later, “Sue (Or in A Season of Crime)” sit just slightly behind crowning achievement “Blackstar.” More notably, both intriguing records are based upon a risqué 17^th century play, ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore, written by John Ford. “Tis A Pity She Was A Whore” successfully captures the eccentricity and risqué nature of that work via musical representation. Among the pros of “Tis A Pity She Was A Whore” is how Bowie’s voice sounds, particularly on the highest iteration of the titular line, making the listener imagine the olden days and a member of the kingly court (or king himself) making such a proclamation.

“Lazarus”

Following Bowie’s surprising passing, ✓ “Lazarus” seems to foreshadow Bowie’s ultimate demise, making it equally more intriguing and more foreboding.  Throw in an unsettling music video, and things get creepier, yet more epic.  “Lazarus” like “Blackstar” is radiant, but in a morbid, twisted sort of way. Lazarus, of course, is the famous Biblical character resurrected from the dead by Jesus (one of his miracles). The key lyrics in this Biblical allusion: “I’m in heaven / I’ve got scars that can’t be seen…”

In reiteration, ✓ “Sue (Or in A Season of Crime)” is the second song on Blackstar that is based on the risqué 17^th century play, ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore.  Like the aforementioned “‘Tis A Pity She Was A Whore,” “Sue” captures the eccentricity of the work via musical representation (“Sue you said you want it writ, ‘Sue, the virgin’ on your stone / For your grave / Why too dark to speak the words? / For, I know that you have a son”). “Sue” features an exceptional combination of jazz and rock with a dash of crazy that makes it superb. Also, notably, an element of murderous rage to fuel the fire.

 “Girl Loves Me” 

“Blackstar” earns the honors of the most ambitious number from the album, but “Girl Loves Me” definitely has a fair argument for at least a share of that honor. Written in A Clockwork Orange language coupled with London gay men’s slang (Nadsat and Polari), without engaging in “Girls Loves Me,” the listener might characterize it as a clusterfuck.  Maybe it is, but if it is, it’s a musically stimulating clusterfuck, featuring an exceptional music backdrop, thrilling vocals, and some f-bombs courtesy of Bowie (“Who the fuck’s gonna mess with me?”) 

“Dollar Days” and the closing cut, “I Can’t Give Everything Away,” are both respectable, like all of Blackstar.  That said, neither quite compare to the glory of the five songs preceding them on the album.  On “Dollar Days,” Bowie seems to cry out against the underrated, less fortunate, etc.  It’s not a definitive statement about the aforementioned but inferring, when Bowie says, “I’m dying to / Push their backs against the grain / And fool them all again and again,” he sees blood.

“I Can’t Give Everything Away,” concludes Blackstar beautifully. It’s the happiest song in regard to key scheme, but not triumphant thematically. Given Bowie’s death, it can be interpreted as something of a final goodbye, which elevates the stock and favorability of this song.  It never supplants the heavyweights of the LP, but don’t write it off by any means.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Blackstar is a confusing but utterly brilliant masterpiece. Honestly, this is an incredibly ambitious album for any musician, let alone an artist who was 69 years old once the album was released.  Although his 2013 album, The Next Day was pretty great in its own right, Blackstar is even stronger.  Better yet, it reminds us why Bowie was so beloved during the peak of his career – his innovative sprit.  One of the best albums of 2016, as well as one of the best of the 2010s.

✓ Gems: “Blackstar,” “‘Tis a Pity She Was a Whore,” “Lazarus” & “Sue (Or In A Season of Crime)” 

David Bowie • Blackstar • Columbia • Release Date: 1.8.16

Photo Credit: Columbia