'Hunky Dory'

Who knew that David Bowie -- the androgynous rock lead frontman -- was putting out power pop piano albums. Like Ben Folds.

Bowie, even in the grand scheme of rock music over the past 60 years is an odd duck, and it has nothing to do with developing and living under a false identity or desiring to be more of a woman than man.

Bowie was a lead singer with no real discernible band. It was David Bowie. That was the band. You went and saw David Bowie in concert. Not the Spiders from Mars or the players Bowie employed to tour. Nobody knew who those guys were.

Although Mick Jagger was a charismatic lead singer, he was the lead singer of the Rolling Stones. Nobody said they were going to see "Mick Jagger and his band" tonight. They were going to see the Stones. And Keith Richards is every bit as popular as Jagger. And it's not like Charlie Watts and Ron Wood are chopped liver.

Bowie's unique. He's a lead singer who didn't really play any instruments nor did he have a recognized set of players nor did the perform under the umbrella of a band. Even Ziggy Stardust sang on his own.

There are little instances in rock music quite like this. And I mean real rock music. Robert Palmer doesn't count. Bowie's a fringe rock star, at best. As popular as he is, many younger people don't know him and most probably don't own an actual Bowie record.

I guess Bob Dylan is in that mold. Solo John Lennon. There aren't a lot and there aren't any modern-day rock singers who are quite like them. Too many bands and if you're singing solo, then you probably ain't singing rock and roll.