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David Bowie
For the first time in his career, Bowie has made an album that relies as much on his sax playing as it does on his vocals, and the results are promising. At its release, Black Tie, White Noise comes on the heels of Bowie’s most uninspired work in decades, perhaps ever, so this collection is notable in that it marks a rather obvious turn towards something more inspired. It’s still odd, though, even for Bowie, especially since it contains a great deal of funk-based instrumentals. Bowie shares production duties here with Nile Rodgers, his able assistant for the highly successful "Let’s Dance" album, but they do not lean on any of their techniques from that album, instead creating something entirely different. As expected, Rodgers brings the funk, which serves as the fundamental basis for the entire album. That leaves Bowie to provide the flavoring, so he adds plenty of Middle Eastern spice, along with some skewed, contemporary sounding riffs.
Bowie stretches out on Black Tie White Noise, allowing his sax to take center stage on many of the album’s arrangements. Bowie’s saxophone playing has been both underutilized and under-appreciated, but this album corrects any misperceptions about his playing. His tone is clear, and his riffing is both imaginative and enjoyable. Granted, he is no jazz master, but his playing does surpass the typical honking associated with most rock and roll sax playing.
Although the album never quite gels into anything cohesive, it does contain some interesting moments. At the top of that list is a searing, funky cover of Cream’s "I Feel Free," where Bowie provides the song with a solid rhythm that the original version lacked. "Miracle Goodnight" is built around a simple but engaging hook that playfully toys with the dance rhythm that percolates underneath, suggesting ‘no-wave’ pop/jazz at its finest. Also notable is "Looking For Lester," a reference to trumpeter Lester Bowie (no relation), who is prominently featured here, but it may also be a sly reference to saxophonist Lester Young, since Bowie wails unabashedly and coaxes some very interesting (sonically treated) tones from his instrument in the process. The biggest problem here, though, is a lack of variety. The dance-based rhythms are relentless and start to wear down, especially since the production is extremely dense and heavy, suggesting the most annoying aspects of Rodgers’ affiliation with Robert Palmer and Duran Duran. The solution is to excerpt the best songs for a personal mix tape, since most will spring to life when removed from the context of the entire album.
Grade: 
 
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