You can call Ozzy old, but the man still knows how to rock in a true and authoritative fashion. Down to Earth could be the heaviest, and one of the best, releases to date from the Ozzman since his 1978 split from Black Sabbath.
The opening track and first single, "Gets Me Through," starts with a melodic piano intro, but quickly switches gears into one of the most memorable Ozzy songs to date, a self-described tribute to his fans. While Ozzy still includes the standard ballad or two (the Beatles-esque "Dreamer" and harder-edged "Running Out of Time"), the majority of the album is a dose of pure rock. "Black Illusion" hearkens back to the days of Sabbath, and "No Easy Way Out" boasts one of the best headbanging riffs to be found on an Osbourne solo release.
Guitar god Zakk Wylde's guitar work along with Tim Palmer's production (and writing) pushes Down to Earth as close to greatness as Ozzy has come in a while. Although the man doesn't seem/want to acknowledge his age, as long as he keeps putting out top-notch material it's hard for anyone to blame him.
