Ozzy Osbourne's latest album 'Ordinary Man' is a visionary epic and calls for a standing ovation
Ozzy Osbourne's new album 'Ordinary Man' is at a mere arm's reach, releasing on February 21, and it is sheer pleasure to express that the impeccable new LP may very well be Osbourne's best. The visionary LP reveals no setbacks of skill to the 71-year-old rock 'n' roll legend.
Since his last studio LP 'Scream', this epic new record marks the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy-winning icon's first solo studio LP in close to a decade. Recorded in Los Angeles, 'Ordinary Man' takes a slight turn from 'Scream' as it features numerous heavyweight artists in both the core band of the album as well as collaborations, such as producer Andrew Watt on guitars, Duff McKagan on bass and Chad Smith on drums.
McKagan is an American multi-instrumentalist who is best known for having played bass for the formidable Guns N' Roses while Smith is best known as the drummer for funk rock elites Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Additionally, Elton John, Post Malone and Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave) make their appearances as featured collaborators on some tracks.
Amidst Osbourne's recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and health issues, for which he had to cancel the North American leg of his 2020 tour 'No More Tours 2', the renowned singer has pulled out all the stops on 'Ordinary Man'. However, it seems Osbourne is sending a message to fans that this may be the end of the road of his musical journey with the 'No More Tours 2' title and song titles like 'Goodbye' and 'Today is The End'.
The second track of 'Ordinary Man', titled 'All My Life', one of the slower jams on the record (although still traditionally wrapped in metal kicks and guitar crunches), presents an autobiographical of sorts. With the opening line "I was standin' at the edge, lookin' down at myself as a child, And he looked back at me cryin' tears of defeat from his eyes", we are treated to a glimpse of the rock star's youth and Osbourne may very well be giving us a diary entry before saying 'Goodbye' in the following track. In juxtaposition to his childhood, Osbourne speaks of a familiar spirit found in his old drinking habits in the second verse (Osbourne has been sober for 7 years which he deems as "f***ing boring", according to Rolling Stone).
Read a review on the first track here.
After "all" of Osbourne's "life", we are led to 'Goodbye', a tainted and twisted number which plays in fields of cryptic mechanisms and a sense of sadness creeps in as the word "bye" is repeated several times. Albeit, the music is raw, gritty, punchy and in-your-face with strong heavy metal themes. If you read the lyrics alone without the music, as stated, they are rather sad, but the score of 'Goodbye', in true metal form, amps one's energy levels up tenfold after 'All My Life' to form a moshpit in one's mind. Chad Smith's drumming on the track imperatively requires a mention as he fits Osbourne's heavy metal bill, but with awesomely added funk elements as he is known for.
In a perfect musical marriage between two world-famous artists, Elton John's piano-playing and vocals blend ever-so-smoothly with Osbourne's style in 'Ordinary Man' and leaves us aghast at why we never imagined a beautiful collaboration as this before.
Read a review on 'Under The Graveyard'which features Slash (lead guitarist of Guns N' Roses) here.
'Today Is The End' highlights Osbourne's crisp and carefully-crafted vocals (which appear to have improved since 'Scream') in a more melodic track. The catchy vocal line will surely have people tempted to sing along while we are reminded why Ozzy Osbourne never fails to bring his fans into addictive banging on each album.
'It's A Raid' with Post Malone rockets in pace and is the fastest track on 'Ordinary Man'. As the track opens with police sirens, we get an idea of the chaotic imagery floating around in the mind of Osbourne. It gets an interesting twist to the 'Crazy Train' singer's usual style as it has an accelerated punk-rock drum beat with Osbourne's vocals matching perfectly. Post Malone drifts from his usual melodic singing style in this, too, as he applies metal screaming elements gloriously.
Although 'Ordinary Man' may reflect a collection of music that is emotional to some, it sheds a light of lawless fun and devilish antics atop and one can't help but applaud Ozzy Osbourne's latest works. A beautiful mix, for sure, sparking up imagery of all sorts in one's mind with each song. Osbourne inspired his fellow collaborators and friends on 'Ordinary Man' and McKagan speaks on their unity in saluting the rock legend. “We were aggressive. We were super aggressive down there,” says McKagan, according to Rolling Stone. “And we were trying to be of service to Ozzy, really. This was about Ozzy." He adds, "Like, let’s make the hardest record we can. Right now. Right fucking now.”
'Ordinary Man' Tracklist
'Straight To Hell'
'All My Life'
'Goodbye'
'Ordinary Man' (featuring Elton John)
'Under The Graveyard'
'Eat Me'
'Today Is The End'
'Scary Little Green Men'
'Holy For Tonight'
'It's A Raid' (featuring Post Malone)
'Take What You Want' (featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott)