Ozzy Osbourne Albums (15)
What The Critics Say
To a certain extent, Ozzy Osbourne doesn't need to make new music -- and to a certain extent he hasn't, choosing to not record an album of original material in the years immediately after the reality TV show The Osbournes once again turned him into a household name. At the peak of Ozzy's fame in the early '80s, he was a boogeyman, embodying all the dangers of rock & roll, but the TV show made him safe, even cuddly -- a punch line at the White House Foreign Correspondent's Dinner -- which just helped him rake in the money, particularly since in addition to riding the wave of The Osbournes, his annual OzzFest tour turned into an institution of sorts, helping launch new bands while tending to his metal credibility. Now, that is a rock & roll machine, one driven entirely by personality, not new musical product, and one that was nearly in perpetual motion, never needing new grist for the mill to turn a profit. Yet there's always a risk that an enterprise like that could grow a bit stale, even with the occasional box sets, live albums, and cover records to keep things humming. And so, Ozzy finally got around to a new album original material, releasing Black Rain in the summer of 2007, a full six years after Down to Earth, his last album of originals, and well past the sell-by date of his TV show -- proof that this record isn't about cashing-in, it's about keeping the Osbourne machine rolling. Black Rain was released just a year and half before Ozzy's 60th birthday, and he does sound like a veteran -- he can't wail like he used to, opting for a lower-register growl, but perhaps the biggest indication that he's getting on in years is that he doesn't rock as hard as he once did. Sure, longtime axeman Zakk Wylde is here playing some mean guitar, but this isn't as heavy as he was even a decade ago, lacking both the gut-level punch and monster riffs of even his post-Randy Rhoads work. Certainly, this level of heaviosity is missed, but it's also true that if Ozzy really strived for a brutal attack he might wind up sounding older than he already does here, so hearing him ease into a hazily dark, vaguely psychedelic heavy rock as reminiscent of Lennon as it is of Sabbath is oddly appropriate. Nothing on Black Rain could really qualify as an Osbourne classic, but there's something curiously comforting about Ozzy relaxing a little bit and singing songs that are strangely age-appropriate -- something that's not respectable, necessarily, something that is still metal, but something that isn't quite as heavy as before, yet retaining that swirling, circular melodies and murky grind that has been his stock and trade for nearly 40 years. If the music feels a bit older, so do Ozzy's lyrics. He spends a startling amount of time addressing the ills of the world, ranging from terrorism to consumerism, and for once his fondness for gloomy doomsday imagery jibes with the conventional-held opinion of the state of the world (although he never gets as apocalyptic as Cormac McCarthy's The Road, or the Left Behind series, for that matter, which frankly is a relief). This unintentional zeitgeist piggybacking helps Black Rain feel timely and appropriate, which is a mildly shocking turn of events, and helps the album feel something closer to a work of art than a piece of product for the Ozz machine. It's hardly a perfect record -- producer Kevin Churko, who engineered Osbourne's Under Cover and also produced Cheap Trick's 2006 Rockford, has a long history of pop editing and engineering, including credits on Britney's Oops!...I Did It Again, Shania Twain's Up!, and Celine Dion's New Day Has Come, and all that history is evident in the album's slightly too punchy and precise sound. But even if Black Rain is a bit clean, a bit soft in the center, it's far from an embarrassment, and it's surprisingly likeable -- kind of like Ozzy himself in the new millennium, really, so it's nice that he finally has an album that lives up to his well-scrubbed, reputable persona. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Essentially an amped-up karaoke night in the Osbournes' basement lair, Under Cover is impeccably engineered and effortlessly played -- ex-Alice in Chains axe slinger Jerry Cantrell provides impressive guitar work throughout, making a strong case as to whether this is his baby or Ozzy's. All of the tracks here, with the exception of "Rocky Mountain Way," "Sunshine of Your Love," "Woman," and "Go Now," appeared on 2005's Prince of Darkness box set. Guest appearances abound, with Mott the Hoople's Ian Hunter choking out his original refrain on "All the Young Dudes" in a style that can only be described as "endearingly awkward homeless man," Mountain's Leslie West turning the amps up to 11 on "Mississippi Queen," and blues-rock wunderkind Robert Randolph laying down some serious pedal steel on "Sympathy for the Devil." The Ozz himself is in good form, but as is the case with much of his later work, he sounds more like the tool than the fist. It's good to give a nod to your inspirations, but when it's a performer like Osbourne, who has made the uncomfortable shift from artist to product, the sentiment -- however genuine -- gets lost in the marketing. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After Speak of the Devil, Tribute, Just Say Ozzy, Live & Loud, the Ozzfest collections, and both Osbourne-fronted Black Sabbath live discs, one would think that Ozzy had exhausted his concert-album appeal. But due to the success of his reality TV show, Osbourne once again decided it was time for another live album. Although Osbourne's live performances were still rock-solid during the recording of this tour, Live at Budokan seems mighty excessive. The only positive thing about yet another one is to hear the intense live work of Zakk Wylde, who has been the cornerstone of Osbourne's sound longer than any other sideman he has ever worked with. His squealing leads and chunky guitar sound great here, displaying a talent for pure heavy metal that few other players could live up to in 2002. But at the same time, you can hear his amazing guitar work on at least two other Ozzy live discs, and the songs that are new to this environment (i.e., most of the first half of the album) are all taken from Down to Earth, which he plays on in the first place. This album sounds fine, is packaged nicely, and would make a nice addition to any Ozzy completist's collection. But Tribute has an equally brilliant guitarist showcased in one of his finest moments, and Live & Loud has the emotional burden of Ozzy thinking it was his last tour, making either of them preferable to this disc. Live at Budokan is nothing to avoid, but there are much better collections available featuring the same rock & roll madman in more spirited days. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
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, All Music Guide
'OzzFest, Vol. 1: Live'
Release Date 4/29/1997
Tracks 10
Label Red Ant
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Ozzfest, Vol. 1: Live captures Ozzy's 1996 return to the stage, when he launched an ambitious day-long festival of metal with such groups as Sepultura, Slayer, Powerman 5000, Biohazard, Fear Factory, and Cellophane. While Ozzy only contributes a handful of cuts on the album, his influence is apparent throughout the record, and the performances the supporting acts turn in are tough and forceful, making it a good sampler of post-alternative heavy metal. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Having been cleared earlier in the year in another lawsuit concerning the supposedly suicide-inducing subject matter of his music, Ozzy Osbourne reinvigorated his sound and expanded his following with his sixth studio album, No More Tears, in the fall of 1991. Finding more sympathetic producers in Duane Baron and John Purdell to replace Roy Thomas Baker (who had helmed his last effort, 1988's No Rest for the Wicked), collaborating with Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead on four songs, and retaining the services of guitarist Zakk Wylde, Osbourne brought his music into the '90s. Songs like "Desire" and "S.I.N." had an energetic, contemporary metal sound, and Osbourne effectively changed gears to turn out gentle ballads like "Mama, I'm Coming Home," which gave him his first U.S. Top 40 hit on his own. Not cowed by his court cases, he wrote songs about child abuse ("Mr. Tinkertrain") and serial murder ("No More Tears") from the point of view of the criminals. But he also considered his own place in the general scheme of things in the tribute to the rock & roll lifestyle "Hellraiser" and the reflective "Road to Nowhere." It all made for an unusually broad range of material, and the album returned him to the Top Ten and multi-platinum status. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This six-song mini-album contains live performances from the supporting tour for No Rest for the Wicked, featuring three songs from that album plus "Shot in the Dark." The performances aren't that special, but longtime fans will want to note that there are also two Black Sabbath songs included with none other than Geezer Butler on bass. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Things start to improve for Ozzy on No Rest for the Wicked, as Zakk Wylde replaces Jake E. Lee on guitar and Osbourne comes up with his best set since 1983. Again, it's not quite up to the level of excellence his Blizzard of Ozz band achieved, but Osbourne sounds somewhat rejuvenated, and Wylde is a more consistently interesting guitarist than Lee. Highlights include "Miracle Man" (in which Ozzy gloats about the downfall of the TV preachers who had long attacked him as an agent of Satan) and the MTV hits "Crazy Babies" and "Breaking All the Rules." ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This live double album, released five years after Randy Rhoads' death, showcases a hard rock guitarist whose all-around ability was arguably second only to Eddie Van Halen. Osbourne leads his best band lineup through the entire Blizzard repertoire, plus a few Diary and Sabbath numbers. Of special note are Rhoads' unaccompanied solos, leaving no doubts about his virtuosity, and the studio outtakes of his short solo piece, "Dee." Rhoads' entire output is absolutely essential for guitar freaks, but he sounds even better live than in the studio. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
