David Bowie - hours...

Hours felt like a kind of back to basics, return to form for David Bowie on its release in 1999.  Gone were the industrial/jungle styling of 1.Outside and Earthling.  In their place were melodic... even mature 'proper songs'.  Guitars that you could hear.  At the time it almost felt like a grown up Hunky Dory!

So now?  Thursday's Child feels very 'adult-oriented', or even 'radio-friendly', with its washes of keyboards and cooing female backing vocals.  Something in the Air, is deceptive, the kind of complex yet catchy song only Bowie could pull off.  Acoustic guitars on Survive and especially Seven give these songs considerable warmth.  The latter in particular sounds like an instant classic 

Faster material like What's Really Happening and The Pretty Things Are Going To Hell fare less well.  They are by no means bad songs, just less resonant than the rest of the album, ultimately a little forgettable.  Brilliant Adventure even channels the second side of his Eno collaboration Low. 

There's very little edge here, the vaguely Nine Inch Nails pulsing at the start of final track The Dreamers wouldn't unsettle anyone.  But it's definitely an underrated album, there's little grit on it and plenty of polish.  But also some very listenable songs.