A few years ago, it seems, David Bowie stopped trying to re-invent himself with every new album and decided to concentrate on just writing some decent adult rock songs instead. It seems to have paid off - last year's Heathen was his most straightforwardly enjoyable album for ages, and Reality is a more than acceptable follow-up. Now 56 and happily married with a new child, Bowie is more aware than ever of his own mortality - and many of the best lyrics here reflect his despair at the prospect of old age and disillusionment with the state of the world. 'New Killer Star' and 'Looking For Water', in particular, are beautifully affecting songs that would grace any future Bowie compilation. Unfortunately, there's also two pointless cover versions (George Harrison and Jonathan Richman) and quite a lot of filler here, which means that reports of this being Bowie's best since Scary Monsters are well wide of the mark. Instead, Reality should be appreciated for what it is; a solid, above-average rock album from a musical icon whose genius is still fully intact - even if it only reveals itself in patches these days.
