★ cover
Released

It wasn’t quite David Bowie’s final work — his musical Lazarus debuted after the sessions, and even in the days before his death he’d demoed some new songs. But Blackstar, recorded in the shadow of his secret cancer diagnosis and released just a couple of days before his passing, was a moving, striking meditation on the end, recorded with a strong creative team of New York jazz musicians. Songs like “Lazarus,” the title track and especially the concluding “I Can’t Give Everything Away” served as a hail and farewell, a last example of his stunning artistic range.

Ned Raggett

Recommended by

Suggestions
Soul Retrieval cover

Soul Retrieval

Larkin Grimm
Red Letters cover

Red Letters

Edward Ka-Spel
Merrie Land cover

Merrie Land

The Good, the Bad & the Queen
Humanhood cover

Humanhood

The Weather Station
Järnnätter cover

Järnnätter

Civilistjävel!
Third cover

Third

Portishead
This Kind Of Punishment cover

This Kind Of Punishment

This Kind Of Punishment
Church of Anthrax cover

Church of Anthrax

Terry Riley, John Cale