Yes, there's a new album from Elton John. John, who hasn't been in the spotlight since his duet with Eminem, is back with a full-length album, "Songs from the West Coast." The video to his first single, "I Want Love," which features Robert Downey Jr., is getting regular rotation on MTV - it's now John's first hit outside Disney soundtracks since his remake of "Candle In the Wind" four years ago. If Elton John is trying to recover the hold over the media that he had in the '70s, then he is playing his cards just right. Nowadays there's no better way to get attention than to be associated with bad boys like Eminem and Robert Downey Jr.
"Songs From the West Coast" opens with a quirky tune about Bonnie and Clyde and Pinocchio's nose entitled "The Emperor's New Clothes," in which the all-too-familiar Elton John piano melody and the classic Elton John voice are in full effect. The only difference is that the song sounds more like a Bob Dylan piece with its random lyrics, and the backup vocals during the chorus sound kind of like Ben Folds Five's on "Whatever and Ever Amen."
The next track is a pseudo-poignant number that contains a harmonica part from Stevie Wonder that is both too loud for the song and also too happy. The song drags on with Wonder's harmonica segment being the only attention-grabbing aspect, which is not necessarily a good thing.
The first two tracks left me wondering where John had gone wrong, since he has written some great songs in the past. Luckily, the remainder of the album gets into a nice flow and is actually quite pleasant at most times. Besides a few exceptions, the rest of the album bounces around between laid-back lounge melody and the sort of song that high school DJs will throw in during the prom so that starry-eyed boys and girls can slow dance and make out.
The best of these prom-make-out tracks is "Original Sin," which is destined to inspire teenage prom fantasies in everyone that hears it, whether you want it to or not. The lyrics include: "Up on the balcony/All the Romeos are bleeding for your hand" and "That face, those eyes/All the sinful pleasures deep inside." The song is layered with sexual tension and desire, which is just what teenagers need more of in their lives.
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The first single from the album, "I Want Love," a wise choice to send off to the radio, is more produced and driven than the rest of the album. The song stands out when casually listening to the album because it is reminiscent of the average "Drops of Jupiter"-type chord progression and beat. The catch is that the song is a lot better than the average down-tempo one-hit-wonder ballad with a chorus that is both urgent and melodic, combining a nicely done instrumental key change with a sweeping vocal harmony.
The second half of the album gets back to prom- and lounge-type tracks except for "The Wasteland," which is the only hard-hitting blues track on the album. The song is raw and full of bluesy guitar and piano, with a feel much like that of some of John's '70s rock songs like "Crocodile Rock."
"Ballad of the Boy in the Red Shoes," meanwhile, is a weird look into the world of a depressed boy that turns into a dancing machine whenever he puts on his red shoes. The song starts with the solemn lyrics, "I'm stoned in the twilight/Screaming on the inside/Give me your water/Help me survive." The song is another lounge-pop track that keeps the album's flow.
The last track is the token sad song on the album that has become an all-too-common closer and goodbye song on any record. "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" lives up to the expectation but is actually a little bit more rockin' than the average album closer with its straining chorus. Overall, the album has a good flow and a few interesting tracks, but I would trade all of the Eminem-Robert Downey Jr.-Prom rock stuff for one listen to a classic like "Rocketman" or "Bennie and the Jets."
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