Ozzy Osbourne
Under Cover
It’s a shame Ozzy is doing so well. A tad more desperation might have taken him down the career-reviving path of Johnny Cash, who, with Rick Rubin’s help, turned in some of his most inspired work late in life. Instead, the Oz, with fame and fortune to spare, put together the world’s most expensive bar band to crank out this album of uninspired covers. With the best voice in the business at the helm, the album is certainly worth listening to—and the song choices are good; covering Joe Walsh, King Crimson and Mott the Hoople is not as obvious as taking on the Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil.” But the arrangements are strictly by-the-numbers, rockin’ while the beers are poured. Oh well. Neil Diamond has turned to Rick Rubin; perhaps we’ll get his amazing pipes belting out some Ween sometime soon.
