David Bowie made an unexpected return from an unofficial retirement with
The Next Day, his first album since 2003's
Reality. Once again, Bowie worked with producer Tony Visconti -- the man who helmed many of Bowie's classic '70s albums, along with his last two studio albums from the early 2000s -- and this is not the only familiar face here, with guitarist Earl Slick being the most prominent of the returning musicians. The first single, "Where Are We Now," is a moody rumination on Bowie's groundbreaking time in Berlin during the '70s, but the rest of the album is louder and tougher, which is one of many surprises
The Next Day has in store. ~ Aneet Nijjar