David Bowie

David Bowie

Heathen (Columbia) It's been exactly three decades (give or take a week or two) since Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars released their eponymous debut LP with a little assist from longtime pal Bowie. Fitting, then, that Heathen features a cover of the Legendary Stardust Cowboy's "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship" while simultaneously managing to render Bowie's last two semi-misfires, 1997's Earthling and '99's Hours ..., moot points at best. Heathen's swirling production, courtesy of Heroes/Low/Scary Monsters producer Tony Visconti, is so much more of a piece that it hangs together like a Thin White Spider concept album instead of an old dog/new tricks effort. Of course, fans will argue that every Bowie album is a concept album, but Heathen, which features guest spots from Dave Grohl and Pete Townshend among others, is the glittery frosting on the Earthling's dark cake. Certainly the credible cover of the Pixies "Cactus" is a keeper, finding Bowie's smoke-smooth vocals in the best form since Stevie Ray Vaughan was in the touring lineup. "Slow Burn" gets down on Townshend's writhing, sweeping guitar work and begs for a stadium audience, while the piston-flavored ambient backnoise of "I've Been Waiting For You" features some of Bowie's most heartachey lyrical twists. Then there's "Everyone Says Hi," which sounds straight out of somebody's Badly Drawn Songbook (a good thing). The keystone here is the titular closer, "Heathen (the Rays)," which drop kicks your head into the outer reaches of the audiogalaxy with a slowly-building drive reminiscent of being pursued by a beautiful sonic bulldozer. Hallo spaceboy, glad to have you back.