Down to Earth

by Ozzy Osbourne

Overview

Ozzy Osbourne's eighth solo studio album, Down to Earth, shows the madman of rock relying on a supergroup of metal musicians to bring his sound together. Longtime Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde is back, this time with Suicidal Tendencies bassist Robert Trujillo and Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin supplying the rhythm. Despite the ever-changing world of heavy metal, Ozzy has a strangely timeless sound that he does not stray from on this record. Thick, heavy songs like "Gets Me Through" could really be on any Ozzy record after 1989 and fit in, but it is this bizarre reliability that keeps the album as listenable as it is. There are a few off moments, most specifically when it comes to the occasional murky production that muffles Wylde's fiery guitar and Bordin's drums. Producer Tim Palmer gives it more of a grunge sheen than a heavy metal sound, which does work on some tracks but takes a little of the punch out of songs like "Junkie." Still, this has all the main ingredients of good Ozzy: a big fat Black Sabbath number ("Gets Me Through"), some wonderfully cheesy ballads ("Running Out of Time"), some tracks that can offend teenagers' parents ("Facing Hell"), and the song about how darn crazy he is ("Alive"). Sure it may be predictable, but no one looks to Ozzy to pioneer new sounds. Anyone who liked Ozzy's output from the '90s will probably embrace this album with open arms, and anyone who does not like him will probably know to avoid this. ~ Bradley Torreano

Product Details

Release Date:	10/16/2001
Label:	Epic
UPC:	0886979175525

Tracks

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

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ozzy Osbourne   Primary Artist,Vocals
Zakk Wylde   Guest Artist,Guitar
Mike Bordin   Drums
Danny Saber   Guitar
Tim Palmer   Vocals (Background),Keyboards,Drums,Guitar
Robert Trujillo   Bass

Technical Credits

Mark Dearnley   Engineer
John Porter   Engineer
Scott Humphrey   Composer
Marti Frederiksen   Composer
Mick Jones   Composer
Ozzy Osbourne   Composer
Geoff Nichols   Composer
Joe Holmes   Composer,Composer
Stephen Marcussen   Mastering
Andy Sturmer   Composer
David Daoud Coleman   Art Direction
Scott Greer   Product Manager
Nitin Vadukul   Photography
Andy Saber   Composer
Danny Saber   Composer
Stewart Whitmore   Digital Editing
Tim Palmer   Producer,Composer,Mixing
Robert Trujillo   Composer