Alright…You Picked It! And this one I thought was going to be a blowout as Ozzy jumped out front right out of the gate, but others gained ground. In the end, Ozzy held on and never lost its #1 ranking. Therefore the winner was Ozzy Osbourne’s – ‘Patient Number 9’ which is a new release and not one I’ve actually bought yet…will this make me run out and buy it? We will see. Here are the results.

1. Ozzy Osbourne – ‘Patient Number 9’ – 10 votes
2. Joy Division – ‘Unknown Pleasures’ – 5 votes
3. The Darkness – ‘Permission to Land’ – 5 votes
4. Loretta Lynn – ‘Van Lear Rose’ – 3 votes
5. Peter Gabriel – ‘So’ – 2 votes

Thanks to all for participating. The November choices will be up on Saturday! And the choices are changing as they are all now from my collection and will have a loose theme.

OZZY OSBOURNE – ‘PATIENT NUMBER 9’ (2022):

Ozzy started work on this album about 2 years ago, just days after the release of the stellar “Ordinary Man” release in 2020. I really liked that album so this one had some big shoes to fill. You keep seeing pictures of Ozzy in the media and you think to yourself, how is this man still alive. He looks like death is standing next to him, tapping him on the shoulder. However, when you hear the last album and this one, you realize, there is still plenty of life in the Prince of Darkness.

This album sees Ozzy bring back in a ton of old friends as we have guest appearances from Jeff Beck, Mike McCreedy, Eric Clapton and his old Sabbath bandmate, Tony Iommi. And if that wasn’t enough, former Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde is back on guitar for four of the 13 tracks. So, 10 of the 13 tracks all have a special guest, those last 3 do not. But the listed special guests are only the tip of the iceberg as there are some big names playing on this album. And speaking of 13 tracks, this album feels long…very long as it runs over an hour long…that is a lot of Ozzy.

The title track, “Patient Number 9”, is up first and has Jeff Beck as special guest as he plays the lead. The song was written by an army including Ozzy, Andrew Watts, Robert Trujillo, Chad Smith and Ali Tamposi (who wrote “Havanna” by Justin Bieber & Camila Cabello). Andrew and Zakk are on guitar as well, plus Robert on bass and Chad on drums. Not a bad band and it shows. The song is radio friendly and catchy as hell even if it drags on for over 7 minutes. Beck’s solo is worth the special guest slot as it is Beck, what more do you want to hear. A great opening track.

“Immortal” is up next with Mike McCreedy as special guest guitarist. The rest of the band is the relatively the same as above except add Duff McKagan on bass and co-write. This one has a better riff, a little less sludgy, upbeat and a lot of energy. The solo on here is massive and the song totally kicks ass. So far, we are off to a great start.

Then more of the same with “Parasite” and Zakk on lead this time around. It is heavy as hell and has another killer riff. The chorus on this one is super melodic which makes it get stuck in your head. What is also special about this song is on drums is the late Taylor Hawkins!!!

Then we get to the first of two Tony Iommi guest spots and let me tell you that it is obvious when Tony is up as the songs get darker, sludgier and straight up killer. “No Escape from Now” takes you back to days of old with Sabbath and all I can say is YES, PLEASE GIVE ME MORE!!

Things slow down a little with the next one called “One of Those Days”. It has Eric Clapton on lead and the song is a little bluesier and less metal which isn’t a bad thing. It is catchy as that chorus does suck you in. It is a less in your face song and I am good with that. It is a little reserved and laid back which you need after the onslaught before it. I love the little break right before the solo comes blasting in and what a cool solo it is. And Duff was back on bass.

Jeff Beck is back for the last time with “A Thousand Shades” and this one has piano and a lot of orchestration. It is another laid back track that shows the softer side of Ozzy and we all know Ozzy can do a ballad just as well as he does the metal.

Then we get three straight Zakk Wylde lead songs and first is “Mr. Darkness” and it starts out as slow as the last two tracks which is a lot of slow to have on an Ozzy album. Now, luckily that slowness ends and it turns in to a rocker, but sadly goes back to it after the chorus. It has Taylor Hawkins back on drums and a co-write, but that doesn’t save this one as it is the first song I don’t really care for as it seems like it wants to go somewhere but feels lost.

“Nothing Feels Right” is up next and I am sorry, but sounds identical to “Mr. Darkness”. That slow opening, build up to chorus and then back to slowness. It is boring and generic. The final Wylde track is “Evil Shuffle” and lives up to its name. It is cruchier, heavier and does feel a little evil. This is the Ozzy I want to hear. He sounds sinister, menacing and downright Mr. Scary. Might be my favorite Zakk song on the album where he is a special guest. Brutal!!

But my favorite track is the final Tony Iommi song, “Degradation Rules”. It is heavy as shit, sludgy and bluesy as it has a harmonica (played by Ozzy). Again, this is Ozzy that I want to hear. Great riffing and downright nasty guitar playing is what it is all about. These two need to make a full album together…have they done that before?? Kidding!!

Now we get to the songs that are just the normal band and no special guests. First is “Dead and Gone” and very bass heavy with Robert Trujillo laying it down. After “Degradation Rules”, it is less heavy and more melodic. A pure rocker and very radio friendly. It has a good tone to it and a well times break in heaviness makes this one work well.

“God Only Knows” has a guest on guitar, but they aren’t listed as a special guest. You can hear it in the tone as it is Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age. I’m not a huge Josh fan, but he can play, no doubt. Another solid rocker of a track, not a standout, but no slouch either. A pretty dang good deep cut though.

The last song, “Darkside Blues”, is a rehash of the Japanese bonus track off the prior album ‘Ordinary Man’. I am assuming it is a different mix, but who knows, I didn’t go back to check. I knew the minute I heard it that it sounded familiar. It is short and sweet at less than 2 minutes. I love the bluesy, steel guitar and the effect put on Ozzy’s vocals to make it sound like an old blues recording. Fun stuff.

My biggest complaint with the album is that it is too long at over an hour. That is really it. Yeah, there are a couple of boring tracks with Zakk on lead, but the rest is pretty solid album and continues Ozzy’s so-called comeback that started with ‘Ordinary Man’…not that he every left, but it started getting good again with that one. I don’t think I like this one as much as ‘Ordinary Man’, but not by much. This has some great special guests with Jeff Beck, Mike McCreedy and Eric Clapton. But the Tony Iommi tracks were king for me as these two together are just magic. A fun album that has some average moments, but the more I dived in to it, the better it got and that is always good for an album. My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars and I’m a little surprised by that myself. Keep ’em coming Ozzy!! And if this ends up as your last studio album, not a bad one to end on.