Ordinary Man

Ordinary Man is the twelfth album, released after roughly ten years since Scream, a much-discussed record built around producer-guitarist Andrew Watt. Alongside a powerful lineup of Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, it features guest appearances by Elton John, Slash and Post Malone. Amid difficulties including health problems and the disclosure of his Parkinson’s disease, Ozzy candidly carved his own view of mortality and his defiance into a modern hard-rock frame. The grand “Under the Graveyard,” joining introspective lyrics to a big melody, is the album’s central song. The title track “Ordinary Man,” a duet with Elton John, leaves a deep afterglow as a ballad that quietly contemplates age and regret. From the aggressive “Straight to Hell,” featuring Slash, to “It’s a Raid,” featuring Post Malone, the cross-generational collaborations give the whole record fresh vitality. Turning adversity to his advantage and pouring out honest emotion in his later years, it is a moving album emblematic of the late stretch of his career.