HOURS...

I pretty much gave up any hope of hearing another great David Bowie album after my traumatic experiences with Let's Dance and Never Let Me Down! Luckily, his output got slightly better in the '90s and I recall that my opinion slowly began to shift for the better once I heard the great track I'm Deranged as a part of David Lynch movie Lost Highway. Still it wasn't until I heard Something In The Air, in the movie Memento, that I finally decided to invest my money into another David Bowie album.

I really wasn't expecting the laid back approach that 'hours...' offers all throughout its running time and looking back at this album I'd say that it shows definite signs of maturity on Bowie's part. By that I don't mean that this is one of those moody nostalgic experiences that most '60s and '70s bands were releasing around the same time, but rather a perfect blend between the nostalgia and fresh new approach to music making. Songs like Thursday's Child, Something In The Air and If I'm Dreaming My Life are great at taking all the latest sounds and ideas that existed at the time of the album's release but without making the simple mistake of overindulging the effects and sounds. These are simply competent songs from an experienced artist.

Even though the album does manage to lose some of its momentum towards the end, it still has enough moments of greatness to keep the overall experience on the plus side for me. To me, this is definitely the first Bowie album since Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (almost 20 years prior) that showed signs of greatness! Who knew that Bowie's next release would be the long awaited comeback to the top? In retrospective, while listening to this album, I begin to realize that the link is very apparent.

***** star songs: Thursday's Child (5:22) Something In The Air (5:46) Seven (4:05)

**** star songs: Survive (4:11) If I'm Dreaming My Life (7:05) The Pretty Things Are Going To Hell (4:41) Brilliant Adventure (1:52)

*** star songs: What's Really Happening? (4:10) New Angels Of Promise (4:37) The Dreamers (5:14)