Ozzy Osbourne - Ozzmosis (1995)
I really don't share the same level of hatred for Ozzys solo material as the majority seem to. Ok, none of it holds a flame to Black Sabbath. Everyone knows that. There is also some really dreadful stuff, thats also something I very much agree with. I dont think it can all be so easily written off though. Personally I think some of it holds some merit and although I very rarely listen to it, I can always go back to it. Of all of it, Ozzmosis holds a place in my heart, mainly as a key album for me from the days where I was still just starting to scratch the surface of heavy metal and broaden my horizons.
Zakk Wylde is a guitarist I also share no hatred for but I'll be the first to say he can be bloody hard work at times. I think that generally he often seems a show-off for the sake of showing off, just my opinion, and that that doesnt appeal to me much at all. However I do like his work on this album. The trademark traits are there but I can only assume he only had limited input into the instrumentation on this record and the end result is a pretty decent one. Dont be put off if you arent a fan of his, basically. Geezer Butler was reunited with Ozzy as he came in on bass during a massive overhaul of band members. Rick Wakeman also features on keyboards.
As long as you dont expect a masterpiece and, yes, maybe forgive one or two tracks, especially lyrically, then in my opinion Ozzmosis is a pretty tight record and arguably marked a shift toward more contemporary sounding heavy metal for Ozzy. This was probably all down to Michael Beinhorns influence as producer, after working with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden and Aerosmith.