Jumping on the
post-grunge
industrial
bandwagon with
Outside
didn't successfully rejuvenate
David Bowie
's credibility or sales, so he switched his allegiance to
techno
and
jungle
for the follow-up,
Earthling
. While
is a more appropriate fit than
, the resulting music is nearly as awkward. Though he often gets the sound of
right, the record frequently sounds as if the beats were simply grafted on top of pre-existing songs. Never are the songs broken open by a new form; they are fairly conventional
Bowie
songs with fancy production. Fortunately,
sounds rejuvenated by this new form, and songs like
"Little Wonder"
"Seven Years in Tibet"
are far stronger than the bulk of
. Still, the record falls short of its goals, and it doesn't offer enough intrigue or innovations to make
anything more than an admirable effort. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine