Published on Nov 9, 2004
Ladies and Gentlemen: I would like to announce Elton John’s
return to form.
Elton John’s output since 1976’s
Blue Moves has been spotty. On the one hand, he’s churned
out great LP’s like
Too Low For Zero and
Made In England. On the other, you have records in the vein
of
Leather Jackets. Up until 2004, one could never tell what
kind of Elton record you were going to here. Fortunately, after the
critical success of John’s 2001 back to basics effort,
Songs From The West Coast, Elton said he had “drawn a line
the sand” in terms of the quality of his albums.
Peachtree Road shows us that the aforementioned line is
still in good shape.
At this point, no one expects Elton John to be the creative
force he once was. The days of
Madman Across The Water, and
Tumbleweed Connection are long gone. The greatest praise I
can heap on Peachtree is that it is the closest thing to those
masterworks we’ve heard from Elton in a while. What does that mean?
Amongst other things, strong and catchy melodies, passionate
vocals, and a “stripped down” sounds of sorts. Unlike some of
Elton’s work, such as
The Big Picture, the sound of
Peachtree Road is organic, even simple at times. A good deal
of the tracks feature Elton just playing by himself for short
periods of time. Helping out in that return to the classic Elton
sound is Paul Buckmaster, the man responsible for most of the
orchestral interjections on Elton’s early albums. This provides a
sense of continuity and remembrance with not only
Songs From The West Coast, but the earlier albums as
well.
Given that fact the songs on
Peachtree are extremely personal (e.g. “My Elusive Drug”),
there was little chance of Elton falling down on the job in terms
of performance. This is his strongest vocal and piano work in
recent memory. “My Elusive Drug” conjures up memories of “I’ve Seen
That Movie Too.” On “I Stop And I Breathe” Elton just belts out
line after line with tremendous gusto. The vocals during “Porch
Swing in Tupelo,” and “Turn the Lights Out When You Leave,” have a
distinctive country twang to them, reminiscent of “Amoreena” or
“Country Comfort.”
Worthy of mention is the song “Too Many Tears”. It is a
brilliant new take on the classic Elton sound. There are the old
elements, such as the wonderful harmonies of the backing band, and
Madman Across The Water-like arrangements. What is different
though, is the unusual piano work Elton displays, and the subtle
yet effective synthesizers. One Elton fan decreed this song to be
Elton’s interpretation of the sound of bands like Radiohead and
Coldplay, a description I find quite fitting.
Songs From The West Coast presented listeners with a
negative and pessimistic view of life and love. Elton John and
Bernie Taupin made a conscious effort for
Peachtree Road to be more uplifting, and positive.
Lyrically,
Peachtree accomplishes its goal. Various songs, such as
“Weight Of The World,” “Answer In The Sky” and “All That I’m
Allowed,” paint a picture of a man who is comfortable with where
his life is at the moment. Knowing the struggles Elton has gone
through (drugs, alcohol, sex), these songs become all the more
personal and touching.
Are there any missteps on the album? Yes, however they do not
detract much from the overall feel and message of
Peachtree Road. “Answer in the Sky,” the US single, is a
standard Elton single, nothing to write home about. “All That I’m
Allowed” is a gorgeous pop song, and I love it a lot, but it just
doesn’t fit in particularly well with the other tracks. “They Call
Her the Cat” is the closest thing to a rocker
Peachtree has, featuring some great brass effects from the
Chicago horn section. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do much for me, and
is the least effective song on the album.
This was a special album for me, as it was the first time one of
my favorite classic rock artists released a new album after I
became a fan. I was able to experience the anticipation, the
questioning, the “first listen”
Peachtree Road had a lot to measure up to in my eyes,
fortunately, it more than surpassed expectations. This is
definitely one
Road I have enjoyed traveling on.