Exhaustion is no small issue. A trailer for an album seems a bold move, some relic of the past where releases were events and not just more stock for the soundtrack of our lives. Keep that braggadocious fire burning, Elton John. He remains one of the last few remnants of an active and still-popular time in music, where legendary songs littered the airwaves. Through a pairing with Brandi Carlile, John hopes to return to this top spot, and he has an honest shot with Who Believes in Angels?, an album recorded during the peak of a farewell tour. Somewhere between a headline slot at Glastonbury and a sold-out show at Dodger Stadium, the ever-present, always-working Elton crammed in the recording and mastering of another studio album. Impressive stuff, even if the music was not, but luckily, we find John in rare form.
We are all too quick to give legends of the business a free pass. When they release a song of genuine strength, it gets mixed in with their lesser works because a bad word against them is seen as a bad word against their legacy. Nothing of the sort here. Elton is in tremendous form, and when led by Carlile through Who Believes in Angels?, those classy tones from piano rock’s past make their way through. With Elton relegated to backing vocals and the occasional interjection there is a chance for him to nail the instrumental work without the fear of a vocal set to follow. His additional vocals to Carlile’s strong lead are a nice touch on an extremely solid piece of work. Carlile, already working off the back of a career littered with success, pairs well with Elton’s stylings, which see reflection burst through. An almost inevitable pointer, but a welcome one when dealt with sincerity.
It occurs here. Who Believes in Angels? maintains an outlook of genuine positivity, an appreciation for sifting through the rocks to find the diamonds that are promised later. Elton collects those shining jewels and is willing to hand them off, it would seem, in a series of collaborations and praise for the up-and-comers of the music industry. There is always a worry of a legend riding the coattails of good faith in their earlier works, but nothing of the sort occurs here. Elton, and by extension Carlile, bring on a song of suffering through the decades of heartbreak and horror, accepted for the love which comes at the end of such a path. This is crucial, and the soft acoustic merits heard within are the extra flourish these lyrics need.
A rare writing credit for Elton only adds to the sense of honesty, the occasion of reflection not as a tool to brag about success but to inform the fears for the immediate future. Death is a finality and few can write well of it. Look back, then, and away from it. Elton spends most of the song hammering away with some excellent piano work, while Carlile leads the song with a staggering vocal performance. Their pairing here is not some flash in the pan and is hopefully the build of what could be a strong twilight years album from Elton. Sincerely some of the best work he has released in decades. Not just because it is an instrumental level above the rest (that electric guitar towards the end is blisteringly fun) but because there is an openness, a truth to Who Believes in Angels?.
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