An off-Broadway sequel to The Man Who Fell to Earth that opened last December and will shortly arrive in London, Lazarus is by any other name a David Bowie jukebox musical. This cast recording was made the day his death was announced, which imbues the performances with a certain poignancy. But while Michael C Hall, Sophia Anne Caruso et al turn in perfectly reasonable renditions of an hour’s worth of material from Bowie’s back catalogue, their takes on Changes, Heroes and Life on Mars? were always going to pale in comparison to the originals. Of most interest, then, are the three previously unreleased songs performed by Bowie himself, recorded at the same time as the Blackstar sessions, which are tucked away on the second CD (the cast versions are on the first CD). Killing a Little Time, with its skronking brass and open-to-interpretation lyrical references to “falling” and “choking”, is jarring but excellent; No Plan is more contemplative (think Where Are We Now?), while When I Met You rides in on a 90s alt-rock bassline before building to an oddly restless chorus. Further proof, were it needed, that Bowie could make startling music right until the end.
