Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 110 Best Albums of the 2010s, representing a varied cross-section of artists, genres, and styles. Click “Next Album” below to explore each album in the list or for easier navigation, view the full introduction & album index here.
DAVID BOWIE | Blackstar
ISO/RCA/Columbia/Sony (2016)
Selected by Terry Nelson
Only David Bowie could pull off saying farewell to the world and deliver his own eulogy through his final album. Blackstar, his twenty-fifth and final studio LP, is bold, innovative and everything we were not expecting. That pretty much sums up his career. For the LP Bowie re-teamed with his long-time producer Tony Visconti, who stated that their goal "was to avoid rock’n’roll.” They were also inspired by listening to Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). Bowie did not use his regular studio band, but a group of local jazz musicians and the results are breathtaking. As you sit down and listen to Blackstar, Bowie slowly reveals that this is his way of saying goodbye: “Look up here, I'm in heaven / I've got scars that can't be seen / I've got drama, can't be stolen / Everybody knows me now – Lazurus.” Blackstar requires a few spins before you can truly appreciate this great piece of art. There's nothing left to say, but thank you, David Bowie.
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