By Jesus Figueroa
An album made in secret, “The Next Day,” brings back David Bowie to the music world with an awe-inspiring mix of songs.
Bowie’s first album in a decade shows off his creativity through brilliant lyrics that match, if not surpass, his previous hits such as “China Girl” and “Let’s Dance.”
“Where We Are Now?”, the first single released earlier this year took fans by surprise. Bowie, producer Tony Visconti and album engineer Mario J. McNulty recorded the album in secret over a two year period.
The album starts with the song “The Next Day,” which captivates listeners with sounds reminiscent of another one of his hits “Rebel Rebel.”
“Here I am, not quite dying,” Bowie sings on the first track.
By the third song, “The Stars (Are Out Tonight),” expectations are high as the first three tracks are just great. The rest of the album does not disappoint with its continuation of the Bowie sound, which has made him a legend in the music world.
“Stars are never sleeping, dead ones and the living,” Bowie sings in “The Stars (Are Out Tonight).”
The out of this world theme that has spanned Bowie’s career with “Space Oddity,” “The Man Who Sold the World” and “Earthling,” continues with songs in “The Next Day” such as “Dancing Out in Space.”
The final song, “Heat,” has an eerie feel. The slow creepy sound intensifies with good yet bizarre lyrics.
“The songs of dust, the world would end, and night was always falling,” Bowie sings in the final song “Heat.” The song is a great finale, giving the album an appropriate ending song.
A wonderful mix of upbeat fast-paced and slower intimate sounding tracks balances the album. The mix makes for an easy listen of the album from beginning to end.
Each song sounds like it could be a single. The uniqueness of each song makes each track sound different, but the flow of the album makes the entire album feel complete.
At age 66, Bowie, with his 24th album, brings his music and style back. “The Next Day” album has Bowie performing equally as good as in his earlier career.