Elton John - Wonderful Crazy Night
8/10
Out of 32 solo albums that Elton John released I only ever bought seven, plus a 'greatest hits' collection. Of those, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, from 1973, is the only one that still receives a regular play, a testament to the melodic variety and lyrical power it contained.
Now, an incredible forty-three years later, Elton delivers a collection of ten songs that look back with fondness to that era, yet revels in the positivity of the present. Wonderful Crazy Night is a glorious return to form, and without a duff track in sight.
In The Name of You is wonderfully west-coast; Claw Hammer references Peter Gabriel, Steely Dan and The Doors; whilst Guilty Pleasure sounds uncannily like Men in Hats' Safety Dance with a country and western twist. Blue Wonderful and A Good Heart provide straightforward romanticism, whilst Looking Up is a refreshingly infectious stomper in the spirit of Crocodile Rock. Only in the final track, The Open Chord, does a string quartet quietly make way for references to life's opportunities and reward, suggesting that Elton is now taking his own familial responsibility seriously.
Make no mistake, this is the Rocket Man's best re-launch in years.
8/10
