Down To Earth

Ozzy Osbourne's eighth solo studio album, Down to Earth, shows the madman of rock relying on a supergroup of metal musicians to bring his sound together. Longtime Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde is back, this time with Suicidal Tendencies bassist Robert Trujillo and Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin supplying the rhythm. Despite the ever-changing world of heavy metal, Ozzy has a strangely timeless sound that he does not stray from on this record. Thick, heavy songs like Gets Me Through could really be on any Ozzy record after 1989 and fit in, but it is this bizarre reliability that keeps the album as listenable as it is. There are a few off moments, most specifically when it comes to the occasional murky production that muffles Wylde's fiery guitar and Bordin's drums. Producer Tim Palmer gives it more of a grunge sheen than a heavy metal sound, which does work on some tracks but takes a little of the punch out of songs like Junkie. Still, this has all the main ingredients of good Ozzy: a big fat Black Sabbath number (Gets Me Through), some wonderfully cheesy ballads (Running Out of Time), some tracks that can offend teenagers' parents (Facing Hell), and the song about how darn crazy he is (Alive). Sure, it may be predictable, but no one looks to Ozzy to pioneer new sounds. Anyone who liked Ozzy's output from the '90s will probably embrace this album with open arms, and anyone who does not like him will probably know to avoid this. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide