Fate has a way of putting things into an interesting context. When it was announced that would be collaborating with of , the music press buzzed with anticipation about the project. What would the proto-punk icon and the snarky hard rock smart guy come up with? The surprise answer is, in many respects, 2016's , an unwitting but loving tribute to 's friend and collaborator . arrived two months after 's death, and was completed before his health problems became common knowledge. More than anything, though, this music evokes the sound and feel of 's first two solo albums. 1977's and were cut with in Germany as struggled to make sense of his life and career after collapsed. With the reunited gone following the deaths of , finds returning to the work he made in 1977, in ways that count the most. is smart and thoughtful, intelligent without being pretentious, and full of bold but introspective thinking. While is certainly no , he's a skilled musician who challenges in a way many of his previous producers have not. The sound of occasionally gestures to 's work, with and without , but has given this music a personality of its own. Dark and richly textured, puts 's craggy but authoritative voice and intelligent tirades front and center. and his rhythm section of have created strong, muscular backdrops for 's lyrics that add to their power. They counter his thoughtful anger with sounds that are rich, cleanly designed, and a successful compliment for the star's work. has suggested that may be his last album, and if that's true, it wraps up his career with a strong and atypical work. It tips its hat to , but also to the freedom and creative possibilities discovered in their collaborative work. It confirms that has never lost the ability to surprise and upend expectations. In the bitter rant that closes "Paraguay," declares he wants to run away and live as "your basic clod." It's an ironic thought, closing an album that once again proves never was and never will be an ordinary guy. ~ Mark Deming