Recording an album of cover tunes is often the sign of an artist treading water. Ozzy Osbourne hasn't released an new album of original material in 5 years, and "Under Cover" can be looked at as evidence that the well has run dry, or a pretty smart career move. Whatever the case may be, it's a pretty bold record considering most of the songs he chooses to cover have little to do with the heavy metal genre he's remowned for. Sure, there are standard proto-metal classics like "Sunshine of Your Love," "21st Century Schizoid Man" & "Fire" (Arthur Brown's wacky tune, not the Hendrix barn-burner), and he more-or-less performs them well. But what's really surprising is how well he pulls off such songs as The Beatles' "In My Life," The Moody Blues' "Go Now" and John Lennon's "Woman." Ozzy has never been what anyone would consider a great vocalist, but his voice displays a charming vulnerability that really works with these songs. There are a few clunkers that don't jive with his style (like an ill-advised cover of "Rocky Mountain Way"), but he recovers nicely with ripping versions of "Sympathy for the Devil" & "Mississippi Queen." Some of these songs originally appeared on his recent career-spanding boxed set, but there are enough good new cuts that will make this disc a worthy addition to one's Ozzy collection. The DVD side of this DualDisc from Sony features a surprisingly touching video of "In My Life," which has Ozzy reflecting on his own life on a park bench (with ample footage of his career & family). Also included is "Dinner with Ozzy & Friends," a 30 minute feature in which Ozzy reflects on his career with Lemmy (from Motorhead), son Jack, and some colleagues who've worked with him for years. It's predictably foul-mouthed and sometimes quite funny.