Peachtree Road [Super Audio Hybrid CD] - John, Elton (CD 2004)

Ten years ago, when Elton John and Bernie Taupin were kickin' it with The Lion King soundtrack, even then, you almost could have said "Well holy cow, do these guys ever go away?" But here we are, and there they are, still alive and very much kicking.

Peachtree Road is Elton John's latest outing, with pink backgrounds in the CD liner and the constant feel of springtime lingering within the music. If your resident groundhog had you on his naughty list, you can find your spring here instead.

"You know, I'm no longer 30 these days..."

God, I don't want to have to say that. This here's a line that a lot of people will be hearing on the way out of a parking lot somewhere. In his typically elegant fashion, Elton takes us on a slow, sunny walk with the piano. This would be the opening song, "Weight Of The World", which in spite of its title, is one of Elton's most joyous openers in several albums now.

"Porch Swing In Tupelo" follows closely behind, and toys with a country twang. Mostly, it's another playful pop ballad, like much of this album really. Incidentally, this makes the second time Elton has mentioned Tupelo in a song. The other time, he mentioned it in the same sentence as a Georgia peach, which veers pretty close to the album title here. Whassup with that? Anyway, I never really thought of Elton John as a "southern boy" before, but he wears it well. And if this song doesn't quite give you the visual, mayhap "Turn The Light Out When You Leave" will. Now there's a song that's got folksy twang written all over it. Any second, you expect Patsy Cline to join him on the mike. Country or not, though, these songs possess the trademark "towering" quality within their melodies. In other words, they'll lose you the first time, then every listen afterward is like scaling a wall with the greatest of ease.

Fans of the more eclectic hookage dished out on such previous gems as "The End Will Come" will probably be drawn to "My Elusive Drug" here, although it might just be a little bit too eclectic. Actually, it's got a bit of the Sting sound going on. Elton's little confessions like "I've been loose as a cannon, and dumb as a wall" come out pretty darn hilariously.

On the more upbeat side of things, we have "Answer In The Sky". Which is easily the simplest offering to be found here. The quiet/loud dynamic with the "explosions" in the chorus come out nicely. "They Call Her The Cat" is a strutting, funky, fast and unpredictable jamout that so closely mimicks his oldies, you'd think it came right out of the 70's. Then there's "Too Many Tears" which is kind of like "Clocks" by Coldplay, but with less repetition. The mandolin and electric cello add a nice touch.

"Freaks In Love" is kind of waltzy schmaltzy, but at the same time oddly sweet. It's sort of like one of those songs you wouldn't notice if not for the title. And because of that, somehow you "make" yourself like it more than you normally would.

The whole thing takes a slight turn for the tepid with "All That I'm Allowed". It's pleasant enough in most every other way except that something about the way the beat is arranged. Makes it drag like a cement truck on its side. Elsewhere in this area of the CD there gets to be quite a bit of filler with the sporadic attention-grabbing hook.

Fortunately, "I Can't Keep This From You" comes in to save the day. It is the last song, and a smooth, smashing way to go out. "I can't keep this love a secret," Elton confesses, insisting that hiding the truth would be wrong. If the lyrics weren't encouraging enough, guitarist Davey Johnstone pulls a rock trick and slides down a couple frets for a little squeal before joining in on the chorus. Man, I love it when they do that. There are parts of this song, well parts of this whole album actually, that make me think "Damn, this is good" and not have the first clue why I'm thinking it. It makes me drive better, it relaxes me, it keeps my mind off those damn cigarettes.

In the end, Peachtree Road doesn't quite encapsulate my soul the way The Big Picture once did and continues to do, but perhaps the solution is just to give it more time. 'Til then, I give it a recommendation, but I ain't dragging the pompoms out and break dancing to go with it.