The Union – Elton John and Leon Russell

            I had heard that this album had received rave reviews so I decided to check it out.  Though I was interested in discovering who Leon Russell was as well as his music, I especially wanted to hear Elton John’s latest release. 

            An old-time piano immediately takes the listener back in time along with soulful background vocals that indicate this isn’t going to be a typical pop-rock record.  Elton and Leon’s voices work well together as they sing in harmony.  There isn’t anything groundbreaking about this song, but it’s a solid track.  Two is classic Bernie Taupin/Elton John.  Elton’s vocals are great and the song reveals him to be the consummate songwriter, always able to craft a decent song.  Taupin’s lyrics are intriguing to say the least.  Together, they prove that they can still out-write most of their contemporaries.  Track three recalls some of the darker numbers on their more recent albums such as ‘And the House Fall Down’ and ‘The Wasteland’.  A decent enough background choir as well as a soloist helps to give the song its soulful feel.  The ending is decent as well.  Like the first two tracks of the album, it seems to be just the right length.  Four, is titled ‘Gone to Shiloh’.  I particularly enjoyed the short musical introduction as well as the strong thumping bass employed throughout the song.  I seem to be enjoying the Elton John/Bernie Taupin-written numbers more so far.  Russell’s playing is almost as strong however.  He, like Elton in more recent years, posses a raspier, almost withered voice, which is perfectly suited for this particular style.  The lyrics are decent as well, recalling the rustic theme of the civil war.  I was pleasantly shocked, although I don’t know why I would be given his voice, when Neil Young appeared on the track.  Equally enjoyable was the somber brass, which comes in toward the end.  This is, so far, the standout track on the album.   Song five is ‘Jimmie Roger’s Dream’.  This enjoyable Elton John/Bernie Taupin tune has a bit of a country twinge to it apropos of its title.  It seems that this songwriting pair have dug into their Honky Château Roots on their last couple of albums.  There’s No Tomorrow, surprisingly, was one of the darkest songs on the album.  This whole album has a heavier feel to it.  This song however, overdoes it, feeling almost like a dirge.  By contrast, track seven has a more up-tempo, boogie-woogie feel.  As I scan the extensive liner notes, I can see that Elton, surprisingly, does not use his regular back up band.  Later I learned that this was the first time in over thirty years that they didn’t play on an Elton John record.  Taupin’s lyrics are intense and at eleven people, the background vocalists sound more like a choir. 

            The second half of the album starts with another Elton John-Bernie Taupin number.  This one, however, is more trite in nature; sounding too much like the stuff they have already done in recent years.  This song definitely isn’t essential.  I do like the fact that Elton and Russell both sing on each other’s tracks.  In fact, this album consists of an entire variety of song writing combinations.  In some tracks Elton and Russell write together, in others the producer will write with Elton and Bernie, and in one, Russell and Taupin even write together.  Nine is ‘A Dream Come True’.  This is a decent, up-tempo number, which employs a funky, honky-tonk riff.  Like the track before it, however, the ending was a little too repetitive.  Track ten, like four, contained a surprise guest.  This time it was Brian Wilson and although I couldn’t hear him singing on background vocals, I enjoyed his arrangement of them.  Russell’s voice almost reminds me of Willie Nelson at times.  I enjoyed this somber-natured track.  Eleven took a while to grow on me.  The primary problem was the fact that it was the third track in a row written in a very similar style.  Eventually, however, I became fond of this track.  Track twelve is a Leon Russell number.  I can definitely hear the way in which he influenced Elton John.  It’s a solid number in a honky-tonk style (resulting in part from the decent background vocals and horns).  As reflected in the artwork, this album certainly has an ‘Old West’ feel to it.  Thirteen is reminiscent of ‘This Train Don’t Stop Here Any More’ in Elton’s weary-old-man portrayal.  Elton’s voice is excellent and everyone else’s performance is strong as well.   In addition, the end is strong, making this one of my favorite tracks on the album.  The fourteenth and final song on the album is a Leon Russell number titled ‘In the Hands of Angels’.  This song has a gospel feel from the title itself to the organ intro and the return of the chorus-like background vocals.  This return provides a nice unification for the album.  As for the song as a whole, I feel that they could have picked a stronger track to end the album with.  It not a terrible song, but it certainly isn’t one of the stronger ones either. 

            For being more than sixty minutes long, this album actually goes by fairly quickly.  This is a good sign.  I have always felt that regardless of physical length, the only time an album sounds like it’s too long is when it’s uninteresting and poorly written. As this album reveals, sometimes the story of how a work comes into being is almost as important as the work itself.  Fortunately, Elton provides liner notes, which address this subject giving the listener a better perspective and providing a better context into which they can place this work.  By now, Elton John legacy as a composer is legendary.  Throughout five decades, he has produced commercially successful as well as critically acclaimed classics at a prolificacy that is nothing short of astounding.  Sometimes it takes the form of a musical, other times it’s an album, but it’s always done with a passion and a craftsmanship that is virtually unparalleled.  Because of this, anyone who listens to this album will undoubtedly find it to be a decent work.  While the average listener or Elton John novice might find it to be more average in nature, dark and somewhat redundant throughout; devotees as well as those who take the time to do their homework (i.e. learning about and understanding the album’s history) and appreciate Elton (as well as the other collaborators) for the outstanding artisan that he is, this has the potential to be a very rewarding listen.