David Bowie

The perfect combination of Bowie's pop instincts and avant-garde inclinations. "Golden Years" is the rare disco hit that FM rock radio continues to embrace, while most of the disc is a bracing mix of cold Krautrock, American Soul, British reserve and otherworldly sonic experimentation. Bowie's cover of the old standard "Wild is the Wind" is priceless.

Miraculously, Bowie's attraction to black music has matured; even more miraculously, the new relationship seems to have left his hard-and-heavy side untouched. Ziggyphiles can call it robotoid if they want--I admire the mechanical, fragmented, rather secondhand elegance of Aladdin Sane, and this adds soul. All of the six cuts are too long, I suppose, including the one that originated with Johnny Mathis, and David sounds like he's singing to us via satellite. But spaceyness has always been part of his shtick, and anybody who can merge Lou Reed, disco, and Huey Smith--the best I can do with the irresistible "TVC 15"--deserves to keep doing it for 5:29. (Grade - A)