'Heathen' by David Bowie

When post-Tin-Machine Bowie albums were reviewed, they’d always be referred to as his best since ‘Scary Monsters’, only for their reputations to quickly slide down the scale a bit. Much of his work in the nineties and beyond was seen as interesting rather than good, but Heathen is generally seen as an exception to this, and rightly so. It’s a wonderful album – genuinely wonderful, and anyone who likes Bowie on any level should hear it if they haven’t done so.

I say this as a big fan of his later output. I think ‘1.Outside’ in particular is hugely underrated, and I enjoy ‘Hours’ and ‘Earthling’ a great deal as well, but I recognise that ‘Heathen’ is better on most levels than all of these. It’s an album which reflects Bowie’s age and status without being restrained by it making full use of the vocal register Bowie had at the time. It’s also a massive success for Tony Visconti, the quintessential Bowie producer who had been away from the fold for so long. Songs like ‘Sunday’ and ‘Slip Away’ ooze texture and warmth – ‘Slip Away’ in particular is a beautiful track, displaying a gentleness and melodic strength that runs through much of the album. A number of songs on the album contain more complexity than you pick up on first listen – ‘5.15 Angels Have Gone’ and ‘Everyone Says Hi’ in particular - but nothing on the album is inaccessible. Even the more experimental sounds of ‘I Would Be Your Slave’ and ‘Took A Trip On A Gemini Spacecraft’ are easy to listen to.

There aren’t really any true weak spots on ‘Heathen’. Only his version of ‘I’ve Been Waiting For You’ feels unnecessary (especially since it’s one of three cover tracks), but even this runs along in decent fashion.

Perhaps the best thing about ‘Heathen’ is how complete it sounds. It isn’t an album full of content which feels like it could have come from other Bowie albums. Even at this late stage in his career (he’s only released one album since, and there are precious few signs of any more on their way), Bowie could still create something worthwhile and special. That’s why he’s great.