David Bowie is one of the world's biggest and most beloved musicians. His work has transcended mere music and he has been heavily involved with theatre and film, he's responsible for such delights as Labyrinth as well as setting some incredible trends back in the '70s. He's even inspired Shakespeare adaptations with exclusively Bowie soundtracks in the Netherlands. All of this counts towards the electric excitement felt about his latest record- the first new album he has released in a decade. So, did it live up to expectations? Simple answer: yes.

The Mirror's review describes The Next Day as "the sound of a man fully engaged and energised by life and, indeed, his own musical past." That sense of aliveness is also referred to by Entertainment Weekly in their review, adding that the album "finds Bowie very much alive and vacillating between forward-looking restlessness and outright nostalgia. Day takes the idea of returning to past experiments and exposes them to gamma radiation, speeding up the evolution process."

The Guardian gave it 4/5 stars, saying: "Despite the lyrical density, The Next Day's success rests on simple pleasures." Summing the album up, reviewer Alex Petridis said that it is "thought-provoking, strange and filled with great songs."

So all in all it's a good album, but is it as good as his 'old stuff'? According to The Independent The Next  Day "not only reflects the artist's best work but stands alongside it in terms of quality." That's about as high praise gets, well done Bowie.

The Next Day is available now via iTunes.