David Bowie

On his most commercially successful album, Bowie traded in his respected outsider status to join the ranks of stadium-filling rock 'n' roll royalty. Let's Dance has so many shoulder-padded hits on it that it's almost a 1980s singles collection: "Modern Love," "China Girl" and the title track are only the beginning.

As a pop-culture changeling flitting from pose to pose, David Bowie is overrated. Ultimately,
there isn't that much difference between Ziggy Stardust and the Elephant Man – they're
both ugly misfits who want to control their worlds. However, as a pop musician, endlessly
experimenting and exhausting new styles, Bowie is unduly neglected. He has been
consistently astute in his choice of collaborators, from Mick Ronson to Brian Eno... More >

Anyone who wants Dave's $17 million fling to flop doesn't understand how little good motives have to do with good rock and roll. Rodgers & Bowie are a rich combo in the ways that count as well as the ways that don't, and this stays up throughout, though it's perfunctory professional surface does make one wonder whether Bowie-the-thespian really cares much about pop music these days. "Modern Love" is the only interesting new song, the remakes are pleasantly pointless, and rarely has such a lithe rhythm player been harnessed to such a flat groove. Which don't mean the world won't dance to it. (Grade - B)