Stepping away from the stage and back into the studio, there is no real break for Elton John. His collaborative efforts with Brandi Carlile continue, the writing partnership with Bernie Taupin is everlasting, and his knack for creating new music is present. Who Believes in Angels? is a moment of contemplation. It must be far more than this to survive, though it is with heartfelt ambition that this album comes to be. A pop package, with a documentary hauled along with the ten tracks, one of them bagging an Oscar nomination for John and Carlile. Where Who Believes in Angels? may run the gauntlet of vague pop readiness, there is a sincere and beating heart at its core. Despite what may be the obvious turns of John and Carlile, there are plenty of surprises throughout their latest collaborative piece. Touching moments, prog rock riffs; it all feels surprising given the expected pop reliance.
Opener The Rose of Laura Nyro hears not just a one-of-a-kind instrumental style for John and Carlile but a nod to the singer John has idolised. A wonderfully surprising opener which sets the scene well. It also pushes the bar that little bit higher, something John has not done on recent collaborations or releases in some time. He has glided through on the goodwill which comes for legends of music. Who Believes in Angels? is John at his best, and when backed by Carlile, he is pushed that little bit further. References to the rocking past which inspired both stars are heard time and again on this collaboration. It never takes the duo anywhere special after The Rose of Laura Nyro, that tremendously touching opener is about as strong as the album gets. Follow-up Little Richard’s Bible is a welcome, upbeat track which, despite its references to the works of the Tutti Frutti star, feels pedestrian.
Bright tempo, light colours, all of it swirls together and makes for a breezy experience. But the line between breezy and weightless is walked a tad too closely. Take Swing for the Fences as an example of that. Never Too Late, too, where John takes vocal lead and comes out the other end with a soppy reflection on his career. Carlile and John have these low moments, but the album songs and title track are explorations of new genres. Carlile solo You Without Me adapts the modern singer-songwriter style and displays some sincere love for the ever-changing instrumental purpose. John, too, is given a tender, final piece. It feels like an inevitability, but these moments are well-earned, even if they are out of place, well out of step with the pop sensibility heard on the first half of the album. Who Believes in Angels may feel all over the place, but its broader themes keep it tied together.
Spots of breezy rock and roll joy come through this John and Carlile collaboration. Not enough of it to give Who Believes in Angels? the constant push it is wanting, but enough to get a glimpse of what could have been. Slick instrumentals, hearty performances, but never shaking the generalities of the pop genre. A piece like The River Man has all the thrills of a booming rock and roll track, but it lacks the lyrical defiance, as does the Carlile country tinged A Little Light, a song which has John contemplate and defy retirement. These are moments which feel true and strong, though are lacking the emotive back-up which could get them over the line. Songs of thanks, songs of relief, and ultimately pieces of work which hear John reflect on his decision to retire from touring. You cannot doubt the sincerity, though the quality of these songs does not quite reach the highs they search for.
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