ALBUM REVIEW / POP : Bowie Returns to Realm Where Art, Rock Overlap : “Outside” <i> Virgin</i> , DAVID BOWIE ***

David Bowie’s greatest moments occurred in the often treacherous nether world where art and rock overlap: Ziggy Stardust, “Scary Monsters”, his late-’70s trilogy with Brian Eno. Working with Eno once more, Bowie returns to that realm with a concept album designed to be a kind of virtual soundtrack.

The 19 tracks evoke a variety of moods and images. In “The Heart’s Filthy Lesson” a jagged “Fashion”-esque edge slices through the lush layers of sound alongside whorls of piano. The frenetic “Hello Spaceboy” posits Major Tom reborn as an earthbound go-go boy trapped in the fast lane. “Strangers When We Meet” is a gently shimmying up-tempo ballad cut from the same cloth as “Heroes”.

Since his golden era in the ‘70s, elements of Bowie’s oeuvre have cropped up in genres as diverse as techno, industrial and Gothic rock, informing artists from Prince to Nine Inch Nails--which is why “Outside”, as captivating as much of it is, isn’t really stunning. The students have surpassed the teacher, which is a testament to both.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).