Heathen Has Some Good Moments!
Martin A Hogan | San Francisco, CA. (Hercules) | 04/02/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I've been a fan of Bowie's for well over thirty years and he almost always surprises. This collection is standard Bowie fare with not much really new - that's not to say it's not great, but I was hoping for a big departure.
"Slow Burn" and "Cactus" (the latter being written by Frank Black) will make for great singles. But, the highlights really start to glow on the last five songs. His vocals seem to sound weary, as if it were the last take of the day - no stretching of the vocal chords here.
"I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship" is a wondrous goof on "Space Oddity" and "Everyone Says 'Hi'" begs the listener to wonder 'what made them go away?' It's hilarious. "Better Future" and Heathen" are good old rock and roll songs, but Bowie is just putting out his regular good stuff.
The packaging is somewhat of a dissapointment, in that the lyrics are so tiny and presented in 'strikeout' that they are illegible. That's okay, as Bowie has referenced these lyrics to being suitable for post "9/11" dreadfullness, even though he wrote them before that time. I'm not sure if that is such clever marketing. Americans don't need to be reminded of that horror when listening to escapist music, however innocuous.
The "CD EXTRA" is just one way to get to Bowie's marketing site. It's worth a look, especially when it was for the upcoming double "Ziggy Stardust" reissue. Bowie may be a chameleon with great artistic talents, but he is also a good marketeer. Fans will scoop that stuff up! And that cover photo - oooohh! Scary! Okay. I like this album.
"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1