David Bowie

You may have heard of David Bowie (pronounced beau-ee), but in case you haven’t here are the important bits. He’s made 26 studio albums, visited every continent, married an ex-supermodel and has all of his hair. He’s also criminally talented, especially, as last year’s Heathen proved, when he’s making music for and about himself. And judging by Reality’s two covers (Jonathon Richman’s "Pablo Picasso” and George Harrison’s "Try Some, Buy Some”) and overarching theme of aging, the Duke’s still riding the same uncompromising trolley. His lingering howl and perspicacious musings work nicely over layers of tech-pop and reverb-drenched atmospherics, particularly on "Never Get Old” and the youthfully spirited title track. True, the bombastic jazzy crooning of "Bring Me the Disco King” shows that Bowie can sound a little effete but the man’s never apologised for his sophistication, in fact, he’s built a career on it.