This is Elton’s 44th album and a follow-up to his Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy of three decades ago. Most of the content sees him, with lyricist Bernie Taupin in tow, looking back over those years.
The sparkling ‘Postcards From Richard Nixon’ reminds us that the Bushes were not the first US presidents to murder innocent civilians in the name of democracy. ‘Just Like Noah’s Ark’ gets down to some serious boogie, and on ‘Wouldn’t Have You Any Other Way (NYC)’, his fond tribute to New York, he discovers his inner Billy Joel. ‘Tinderbox’ has a wry resonance for these times, and ‘Blues Never Fade Away’ is a vintage Elton ballad about (another) dead friend. ‘I Must Have Lost It On The Wind’ owes a debt to Crosby, Stills & Nash, while ‘Old 67’ is a McCartneyesque nostalgiafest and the sprightly title track sums up the album’s backwards look. But it’s not all as good. ‘And The House Fell Down’ is merely run-of-the-mill stuff, and ‘The Bridge’ is almost a pastiche of a dozen Elton John songs.
In ways, this is the album Elton has been threatening to make for years. All the trademark Eltonisms are here: the tasty piano fills, the unmistakeable voice, the catchy melodies and lyrics of substance rather than mere frivolity. It could restore him to his rightful position as pop’s queen of tarts so you could almost forgive him his Diana Spencer obsession. For that alone it’s welcome.