Albums: Elton John and Brandi Carlile – Who Believes In Angels?

Elton John and Brandi Carlile – Who Believes in Angels?
The Rose of Laura Nyro; Little Richard’s Bible: Swing For the Fences; Never Too late; You Without Me; Who Believes in Angels?; The River Man; a Little Light; Simeone To Belong To; When This Old World is Done With Me.
(Interscope)

After his almost legendary Glastonbury headline performance in 2023, any thoughts of Elton John retiring are dispelled by this new album— one of his best this decade. The collaboration with Brandi Carlile shows that Elton has found a new lease of energy.

Producer Andrew Watt, who produced the last Rolling Stones album, Hackney Diamonds has added a modern twist to the album, making the duo modern and relevant as opposed to Elton just becoming a heritage act who no longer records new material.

The combination of Elton’s roar is compensated by the softer country music tones of his new singing partner. His quest for broadening his horizons is heard on the opening track The Rose of Laura Nyro – a call-and-response number that reaches a huge climax. The track is a tribute to the late Californian singer who died in 1997 aged 49.

Little Richard’s Bible – a great rock 'n roll song – could indeed be a track by one of the original rock pianists – someone who has had a big influence on Elton on this big, bold and bombastic number that harks back to Saturday Nights Alright For Fighting – an Elton classic.

Swinging for the Fences – an up-tempo LGBT+ track – comes with a strong melody and an uplifting vibe.

The album closes with the reflective When This Old World Is Done With Me – a moving number that never feels too morbid, as the pair confront ageing and ultimately death – hopefully there will be more albums to come from one of music’s most endearing acts. For now, though, this is a gusty, great, and triumphant return.