Track Listing

1. Gets Me Through
2. Facing Hell
3. Dreamer
4. No Easy Way Out
5. That I Never Had
6. You Know...
7. Junkie
8. Running Out of Time
9. Black Illusion
10. Alive
11. Can You Hear Them

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28952 in Music
• Released on: 2002-02-27
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
For the first five minutes of Ozzy Osbourne's 13th solo album, Down To Earth, you feel like cracking open the champagne to celebrate a triumphant return. To a deliciously dirty blues riff that's Led Zep getting hot and sweaty with prime era Sabbath, "Gets Me Through" is a brilliant track, which sees Ozzy deconstruct his showbiz persona in a Robbie Williams-turns-rock-god style: "I'm not the kind of person you think I am... I try to entertain you the best I can." Sadly, the rest of the album isn't quite up to the opener's high standards. "Facing Hell", while fine in the foot-stomping, dandruff-shifting stakes, is stuffed with the kind of horror cliches that "Gets Me Through" rises above. Same goes for "Black Illusion" and "Can You Hear Them", although in the latter's case you suspect the "voices in my head" aren't mere poetic justice. The album really goes off the rails though with "Dreamer", where Ozzy weeps about global warming a la "Imagine", and "You Know..." in which our hero apologises to his kids. Not quite rock legend behaviour perhaps, but even at its worst Down To Earth has enough wilful eccentricity to keep you entertained, amused and still brimful with respect. --Ian Watson

CD Description
The Madman returns with his thirteenth solo album 'Down To Earth'. Heavier and more dynamic than 'Ozzmosis' which was released in 1995. More contemporary than 'Ozzmosis', but still retains the classic Ozzy Osbourne/Black Sabbath sound.

Customer Reviews

The best Ozzy album ever
First of all it has to be said that Ozzy is possibly singing better on this album than he has ever done. Couple this with the return of Zak Wylde on guitar and the ingredients to a classic album are laid. This is a heavy album but complimented brilliantly with some classic ballads that would have graced Ozzy's last solo album of note, 'No More Tears'. 'Dreamer' in this time of world turmoil is a hit waiting to happen (but won't) and one runs out of superlatives to describe 'Facing Hell' and 'No Easy Way Out', just heavy metal at it's best. More than anything, this is a very autobiographical album that charts so many of Ozzy's low points. In short, a masterpiece worthy of a performer who will endure and make great music for some time to come. Thank you.

Unusually inconsistent
If it wasn't for Gets Me Through and Dreamer, this album would be a total dissapointment. However, these two tracks are brilliant and show just how good this album could have been. But get used to the dissapointment of Facing Hell with its terrible chorus that lets down an excellent riff (listen to Demise Of Sanity by Black Label Society and see the similarity). However things look better, with Dreamer, which is one of the Ozzmans classics, that reminds you why Ozzy and Zakk Wylde are so good at what they do. The next track, No Easy Way Out is also top-notch Ozzy with one of the best solos of the album. That I Never Had is not quite as good but not as dissapointing as the nose dive that is Junkie. Some excellent riffs are wasted on this album and this a fine example of that - the lyrics are cliched to hell. But, again Ozzys knocks out a classic - Running Out Of Time, which is fairly similiar to Dreamer but darker. But, again Black Illusion brings the level down with what sounds like an attempt at Sabbath that just doesnt work. I also noticed that when the songs suck, Zakks soloing sucks as well - it just sounds like hes just shredding for the sake of it on a few too many of these tracks. From there on the album doesnt get any better. So it's worth the listen for the three tracks that stand out, but they stand out so much the rest of the album is left in the dirt. Certainly not comparable to No More Tears, No Rest, Blizzard etc.

Ozzy By The Numbers
I really wanted to like this. After the dissapointment of 'Ozzmosis' in 1995 there was much talk of a return to the class of 'No More Tears'. The return of Zakk Wylde, whose incendiary playing set NMT alight, was also a hopeful sign.

However, its all about the songs, and there aren't any here. Ozzy's descent into humourless self-parody, which began with 'Ozzmosis', appears to continue unabated. The album oscillates between lamentable 'Ozzmosis' cast offs ('Gets Me Through') and dodgy Sabbath B-sides ('Black Illusion'). Wylde's riffs are derivative and unconvincing, while the soulless co-writes with hit-maker Marti Frederiksen (Bon Jovi, Aerosmith) will send this record straight to the bargain bin after Christmas. This record does nothing for Ozzy's reputation as a purveyor of patchy records. Lets hope the ongoing Black Sabbath sessions in Wales produce something more valid than the dross offered up here.