Blackstar – David Bowie

Released Jan 8, 2016 followed only two days later by his unexpected death, I am never sure when I listen to this album whether it is melancholy in sound or if my own melancholy influences how I hear it. This album is ever connected to the shock I felt when reading on Twitter that he had passed and trying to find any corroboration that it was truthful before his son Duncan Jones confirmed it as accurate.

In any case, this is a tremendous album and some of the lyrics take on a different meaning in light of his illness that was present during its recording. Like anything he recorded, it’s not conventional and it’s sometimes challenging, but it’s a rewarding listening experience and I consider it one of his finest releases.

To learn more about the 1001 Albums Project, I first wrote about it here.