You Can't Kill Rock N Roll- Ozzy Osbourne's "Ozzmosis"

 

When it came out, this album took some time to grow on me. "Perry Mason" lyrically seemed really weird at the time, though now the song is an Ozzy classic. The album was also heavier on ballads, though some of those, like " I Just Want You' are some of his best ballads, and that song is dark enough to win me, I think seeing him play live so me on it. The weird thing is this trend continues on the third song, "Ghost Behind My Eyes," which is another anthemic power ballad. There is an interesting guitar tone, but it kind of feels like he was holding onto the '80s all the way into 1995, when music had taken a wild turn from this sort of thing, thanks to the rise of alternative, but Ozzy held strong and endured despite this. This is not Ozzy making a grunge album.

When this album first came out, 'Thunder Underground' was my favorite song, as it is the first song on this album that feels metal. It is still a banger to this day. Though when it comes to power ballads 'See You On the Other Side" is pretty timely, but has held up over the years thanks to the guitar tones that do not sound like they were conceived on a Def Leppard album. "Denial' has more balls to it but hovers around the creepy power ballad like sweet spot for him. Zakk's guitar solos are killing it for sure. 

"My Little Man" is about baby Jack; it has a Beatles-like vibe and some interesting tones. I guess it is intended to be a lullaby, but it sounds like they are putting him to sleep with a bong hit. "My Jekyll Doesn't Hide" is one of the other metal songs on this album. I think this is about his personality shift when he uses drugs. "Old L.A. Tonight" is a piano ballad that finds some soulful moments coming from Zakk, who finds some of his best playing on this album. It is weird thinking that Ozzy was only 46 for this album, so despite the wear and tear of the years, his voice was pretty prime here. 

"The Whole World's Falling Down" was a bonus track, but it should have been included, as that would have brought the total metal songs up to 3. "Aimee" is the other piano ballad, this one i about his estranged daughter. It sounds like it could have come from "Bark at the Moon", so that works for me. I will give this album a 10 it got better over time for me. 

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