BOWIE is on superb form.

This is an album which could stand proudly alongside any of his almost faultless 70s output and not be overshadowed, maybe in part because he's teamed up with his old co-producer Tony Visconti.

It was Visconti who helped knock records like the classic Low into perfect shape.

But always the progressive, Bowie strives forward on Heathen rather than taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane which other fifty-something rock stars are apt to do nowadays.

The delicate and beautiful Sunday kicks things off, sounding like 21st century Gregorian chant with Bowie's immaculate vocals floating beautifully over the top. It's stunning.

Cactus, Afraid, Slow Burn (featuring Pete Townshend), and I've Been Waiting For You (by Neil Young) inject some adrenaline but are still wonderfully atmospheric in their own individual way.

With material like this, he could quite happily abandon his seventies repertoire again.

The limited edition album includes a bonus CD with an excellent Moby remix of Sunday, and a remix of A Better Future, another standout track from the album.

Bowie has also re-recorded Conversation Piece written in 1969 and a 1979 outtake called Panic in Detroit is also included.

JS