 Ozzmosis, despite the taunts of the majority, was a pretty neat album. Sure it had its downtime, but generally it sparkled enough to hold the imagination. Down To Earth sees Ozzy in, shall we say, a more confident mood! Brimming with all the trademark production style that allows Ozzy to make the best of his voice, Down To Earth just gels. It sticks to the roof of your mouth like stuffed crust pizza and tastes just as good.
Facing Hell lets loose some great riffs while the almost Cheap Trick-esque Dreamer could see Ozzy with a chart position the likes that he hasn't seen since So Tired . . . yup, it's been that long! Meanwhile, Black Illusion and No Easy Way Out set the albums high points and nothing really lets go of the pace until the closer Can You Hear Them? strikes its last chord.
Its good to see Ozzy back on form. It's hard to believe that this is his thirteenth solo outing and it finds him in the same league as Alice Cooper, as one of rocks elder statesmen.
I can't see many of today's stars making quite such an impact on the genre as Ozzy, and give the man his due; he knows a good thing when he sees one and doesn't waste much time in recruiting them for his various projects. On that note, it's also good to see guitarist Zakk Wylde back in the fold - long may he rock.
Hot rumour of the week is that Rob Zombie is set to do the next video/single. Oh, for the days when a band would push out two albums a year! :: Sion Smith |
