Songs From the West Coast - John, Elton (CD 2001)

Throughout his entire career, Elton John had created a rich legacy for more than thirty years. In the 1970s, he released several albums where seven of them went to number one in a row including two albums that debuted at number one. In the 1980s while continuing to have hit singles, he was going through personal demons of booze and drugs while making terrible albums that only contained a few hits. In the 1990s, he sobered up and gained more hit singles again but his albums fell short of the grandness that 70s albums like Tumbleweed Connection , Honky Chateau , Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy . Finally in 2001, Elton John released what many considered his return to form and his best album since the mid-1970s titled Songs from the West Coast .

Though he recent years, Elton John has been dabbling in new trends and technology but on Songs from the West Coast , he got rid of the technological approach and went back to basics of piano, guitars, bass, and drums. With his longtime collaborator/lyricist Bernie Taupin, Elton John crafted a rich album of piano-based rock that hadn t been truly heard since his glory days of the early and mid-70s. With help from longtime musicians guitarist Davey Johnstone, drummer Nigel Olsson, arranger Paul Buckmaster, and guest appearances from Stevie Wonder, Billy Preston, and Rufus Wainwright, Elton John proves that man in his 50s can make get back his fire and craft another good album again.

The first single off of Songs from the West Coast is the John Lennon-influenced I Want Love that features elegant vocals from Elton singing Bernie Taupin s powerful lyrics of I want love on my terms/After everything I ve ever learned/Me, I carry too much baggage/Oh, man I ve seen so much traffic while there s a lovely guitar track from Davey Johnstone who brings a psychedelic/country-like guitar sound that makes this song one of Elton and Bernie s best written songs ever. There are two songs on the album that featured gay-related subjects, which are both powerful, especially from a famous gay artist like Elton. First is the haunting piano ballad American Skin about the death of young gay activist Matthew Shepard (who the album is dedicated along with Davey Johnstone s late son Oliver who died in a drowning earlier this year) where the song features backing vocals from gay singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright that features powerful and very poignant lyrics of Been there drinking on that front porch/Angry kids mean and dumb/Looks like a painting that blue skyline/God hates f*gs where we come from that gives an example of hate in the gay community. Another gay-related song is the Ronald Reagan/AIDS song Ballad Of A Boy In The Red Shoes which is a powerful piano-rock song that features a lovely string orchestra arranged by Paul Buckmaster that criticized the way Ronald Reagan handled the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.

The album s opener The Emperor s New Clothes is a great mid-tempo piano-rocking track that features rich instrumental tracks from guitarist Davey Johnstone, drummer Nigel Olsson, bassist Paul Bushnell, and lovely piano tracks from Elton who brings in beautiful vocals in this elegant and saucy track. Dark Diamond is a funky-piano track that features a cool piano performance from Elton and a lovely harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder during the melodic chorus that has a sense of funk and blues that had been lacking in Elton s albums for years. Look Ma, No Hands is a great mid-tempo track that showcases Elton s talent as a pianist and he hasn t lost his edge or grace in this song that features elements of boogie-blues and pop-rock structures that is great choice for a single. Original Sin is a melodic-rock ballad that features hypnotic vocals from Elton singing Bernie Taupin s brilliant lyrics especially in the chorus of Tell me how, you know now, the ways and means of getting in/Underneath my skin/Oh you were always my original sin/And tell me why, I shudder inside, every time we begin/This dangerous game/Oh you were always my original sin that proved Taupin hasn t lost his touch as a lyricist. Birds is a great country-rock track that features a funky/12 bar blues piano performance from Elton and a lovely country-guitar power from Rusty Anderson that takes you back to his good ol days in the 70s.

The Wasteland is a powerful blues-rocker that is just kicks *ss due to Davey Johnstone s opening guitar assault along with a powerful organ track from Billy Preston, and Elton s 12-bar blues piano assault and bluesy vocals that includes lyrical references to blues legend Robert Johnson Come on Robert Johnson/Though we re worlds apart/You and I know what it s like/With the devil in our heart . Love Her Like Me is a beautiful country-like track that features melodic-country guitar hooks from Rusty Anderson and masterful piano tracks from Elton who brings in rich vocals that should become a country hit. Mansfield is a very good ballad track that features more of country-melodic guitar tracks from Rusty Anderson along with Elton s lovely vocals and piano performance. This Train Don t Stop There Anymore is another piano-ballad track that features soulful vocals from Elton backed only by bass and drums while he sings powerful lyrics of You don t need to hear it/But I m dried up and sick to death of love/If you need to know it/I never really understood all that stuff that shows Taupin s mastery as a lyricist.

Songs from the West Coast is an excellent return to form from Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The only problem with this album is that there s one too many ballads, if there were a rocker or two, it would be probably be another masterpiece. For those who think Elton has lost his touch should buy this record and realize that he s back. While it may not be as good as Captain Fantastic , Goodbye Yellow Brick Road , Honky Chateau or Tumbleweed Connection , it still packs a punch that made those Elton John albums so great. For all you old fans who wondered if Elton still got it, get your old Elton John albums and this new one and you re in it for a good time. Overall, Songs from the West Coast is a brilliant effort from the King of the Divas, Sir Elton John.