Didn’t Elton John retire recently? The tabloids say he’s near death and completely blind.
Of course none of that is true. Sir Elton just turned 78 and dropped an exceptionally good album today with Brandi Carlile. “Who Believes in Angels?” is one of his best recordings ever.
For one thing, the album ends with a career-best song from Elton and Bernie Taupin called “When This Old World is Done with Me.” It’s sort of their “My Way,” but it’s eons more sublime and features powerful lyrics that Elton sings with the gusto of a 30 year old. Andrew Watt supplies a thrilling production with a unique throwback ending of just Elton, a piano wizard, on the most lovely instrumental ending.
“When This Old World” had better get a Grammy nomination next winter for Best Song.
Brandi Carlile makes for a sterling collaborator on “Angels.” I always forget how much I like her until I hear her voice again. She’s also kind of a unicorn in the way she’s sought out Joni Mitchell and Elton John as elder statesmen. She really loves and admires them for real, and you can feel it. Brandi has her own outstanding solo track on the album, called “You Without Me,” which might be her “Landslide.” It’s deceptively light as a feather. Her fans will be singing it aloud at concerts.
The rest of the tracks on “Who Believes in Angels?” are satisfying, catchy, and brilliantly constructed. My standouts right now are the title track, and everything else on side 2. The albu is sort of divided between a ‘disc one’ of rocky-ier numbers and ‘disc two’ — of more intimate numbers. “The River Man” is the highlight of the duets, matching the best of these two brilliant performers.
“Who Believes in Angels?” is also being marketed with real intelligence. Tomorrow on YouTube we’ll see the Q&A from tonight’s appearance at the 92nd St Y. Tomorrow night, the pair will be on “SNL.” The next morning they’re featured on “CBS Sunday Morning.” You can’t do better than this plan!
