Blackstar - David Bowie

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The tone is gloomy from the get-go, which had never been typical David Bowie fare.  He had always been a man of mystery, with his multiple egos and personas through his illustrious career as a performer. The brass section interspersed with his more familiar experimental compositions added an unusually sombre tone to his work. However, the mystery quickly turned to tragedy as no one was the wiser that Bowie was hiding his terminal cancer until his passing two days after the LP’s release. Bowie pleads on every track as if to express his final hopes and wishes. “Lazarus” was the final single released during his lifetime, and after his death, the opening lyrics “Look up here, I’m in heaven,” immediately stood out like an illuminated billboard on Broadway. The ensuing emotion and universal outpour of grief did nothing but cement his swan song as one of his all time greatest achievements.