Impeccable sound and sparkling renditions of "Life on Mars?," "China Girl" and "Word on a Wing" make "VH1 Storytellers" a worthwhile addition to any Bowie collection. It's the stories--the vivid reminiscences, vocal imitations, humor and poignancy--that elevate the album to more than a standard TV-concert soundtrack.

Bowie's performance for the cable TV show was taped Aug. 23, 1999 to help promote "Hours...," a rather straightforward rock album that followed a string of more experimental, rhythmically based records. "Thursday's Child" and "Seven" from "Hours..." are included in "Storytellers" and, oddly, they feel neither inferior, superior or even fresher than the older material; Bowie invests an appropriate level of passion into his singing on each number.

Plenty of famous names enter Bowie's stories--Barbra Streisand, Marc Bolan, Iggy Pop, Eartha Kitt--as he details early years, lost years and frustration with a bit of self-deprecation and consistent honesty. He cracks a good joke before one song and then hushes the room with a tale that sinks the heart; the stories provide the ebb and flow of the concert more than the music.