Who doesn’t know who Elton John is? The man is part of music royalty. I have no idea how I was introduced to his music because he has been a constant, and I probably first heard him while I was inside the womb. He has released over 30 albums, hit the top spot just shy of 10 times, and won many accolades. 

But as he revealed on the recent episode of Later…with Jools Holland at Helicon Mountain, just like everyone else, he found himself in the same situation during the lockdown. Indeed, Elton had to postpone dates for what he says will be his final tour, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Farewell Tour”. Elton has said on several occasions that he will quit touring for good. Still, this time, in conversation with Jools, he said that by the time the tour has finished, he would be shy of 80, meaning that he will probably be close to his mid-eighties by the time another album tour commences. Elton declared he wants to enjoy his family rather than being out on the road because he doesn’t particularly like touring as it is. Although he will retire from touring, he has said he will continue to release material for himself or collaborate with other artists.

So, how was the concept of this record born? Elton wanted to do more than play family games and watch television, which he initially did and wanted to be more active. So, instead of starting an album from scratch, he elected to do a collaboration record that features an array of talented musicians from Brandi Carlile to Yo-Yo Ma. Is the guest list a surprise? No. Not really. He has collaborated with pretty much everyone in the industry. The most surprising of all was with 2pac on ‘Ghetto Gospel’ in 2004 from Pac’s “Loyal to the Game” album produced by Eminem, who, despite using derogatory language towards homosexuals, ended up becoming good friends with Elton. Elton, of course, also has the likes of Ed Sheeran signed to his Rocketman management service.

I liked most of the album, albeit four tracks out of the 16. The tracks on “the Lockdown Sessions” are split down the middle between old tracks that were hits of his being tweaked and reimagined and the other half being unreleased and unique material. ‘Learn to Fly’ features the Texas duo Surfaces, inspired by Elton’s love of jazz. ‘Chosen Family’ is the standout track for me, which features Rina Sawayama (In fact, it is her song.), where they talk about…well, what the song title is. 

Now, I recently found out that it is supposed to be in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, of which both Elton and Rina are a part, but when I heard it, I listened to a song about us all being as one. I didn’t hear a reference to just one community but a message for the whole world. When put in the setlist, this track will be the moment when all the phones and lighters are lit up. It is a lovely slow-tempo ballad. By far, it is his best work on the album; believe me, there is plenty of it on this.

I am not a fan of Years & Years, but the reimagined version of the Pet Shop Boys’ 1987 smash hit, ‘It’s a Sin’, is brilliant. It is globa! Reach mix showcases the vocals of Olly Alexander signing over an acoustic guitar before Elton comes with his piano over a pulsating disco beat that will fill many a dancefloor at a wedding reception and those cheesy disco parties. I don’t know how the lads from Pet Shop Boys feel, but it doesn’t discredit the track for me. It is more upbeat and less sad.

If it weren’t for the beautiful collaboration with vocalist Rina Sawayama, the next track I am going to mention would have probably been my standout, and that’s the collaboration with Miley Cyrus, Watt, Yo-Yo Ma and Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo on, funnily enough, Metallica’s 1991 soft and melancholic ballad ‘Nothing Else Matters’. 

Miley’s vocal delivery resembles Lana del Rey’s with her gravelly voice. The song doesn’t deviate much from the original but is slower and more acoustic throughout. In contrast, the original involves a lot of electric guitar during the chorus and the solo section. You have to say it was a stroke of genius to bring on board a member of the band, Robert Trujillo, who would have made sure that the version by Elton did the original justice rather than see it spoiled or maybe even murdered by overproduction or sending it into the cheesy pop realm. 

The record’s diversity is quite something to behold, as you can tell by some of the tracks I have already touched on (Have you been paying attention? Hahaha.). Another disco and uplifting song is ‘Orbit’, featuring SG Lewis. I say disco, but is it? Well, yes and no. Yes, it is disco, but no, it ventures into the early days of what was to become house music, but with a retro twist. You are propelled back to the 1970s disco fever era but with an element of early house. Touching on the record’s diversity, Elton said it sent him back to his time as a session musician in the late 60s and how he has managed to balance the music he grew up with and the music that young people are currently listening to. Elton isn’t trying to appeal to just one audience, nor is he treating this as just a joke of a collaboration album. He has put serious work into this, and it has paid off.

The next song I will mention is with an artist I have heard an awful lot of late and watched, god knows how many documentaries about her, and that’s Elton’s excellent friend Brandi Carlile. They team up on ‘Simple Things’ that, as you can imagine, is embedded into Brandi’s country roots. Elton brings his country concept to the track and talks about the wisdom he has picked up throughout his years as a musician. I mean, there are just so many great tracks on “the Lockdown Sessions”. I am going to sum up the following shortly and sweetly:

‘E-ticket Ride’ featuring Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder: This is their glam-rock take on the Beatles classic ‘Ticket to Ride’, but the lyrics are updated for a modern world. Hence ‘E-ticket’.

‘Finish Line’ featuring Stevie Wonder: Stevie is a music legend in his own right and brings gospel to this song, making it spiritual.

‘Stolen Car’ featuring Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks: This track could be mistaken for the same couple from ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ talking about their relationship through those 45 years.

‘I’m Not Gonna Miss You’ featuring the late Glen Campbell: Glen would be proud of Elton’s collaborations and his reimagining of his songs and others. Indeed, I love Glen’s covers of the Foo Fighters ‘Times Like These’ and Green Day‘s ‘Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)’, respectively. It is a negative way to close the album and is probably the final wave by Glen. We lost him in 2017, but I imagine Elton has stored away this one for years, and through the lockdown, we have had the opportunity to say goodbye to Glen on this downtempo ballad.

My one disappointment with the record is that there has yet to be room for the late Leon Russell, who passed in 2016. Elton was a massive fan of Leon’s, even recording an album with him in the early 2000s. I was surprised not to have seen a collaboration with Leon on a track from those early 2000s sessions. I would have listed the ‘the Pink Phantom’, which also features on Gorillaz’s latest album, “Song Machine”. Overall, the track is excellent, and I have heard it at least four times on the band’s current tour. However, 6lack ruins it for me because he uses that software I detest, and the guy can’t sing anyway, so it doesn’t add any value to the track. It spoils it. Take him off, or get him to rap without the vocal software; you have a great track. This latest album is a testament to Elton’s ability to switch the creative tap on when necessary.



Song recommendations: ‘Chosen Family’, ‘Nothing Else Matters’, ‘Simple Things’

8/10