Wow. Who would have thought that Elton, at this late date, still had this in him. As a long time fan, I've been dismayed with his 90's (and most of his '80's) output, and had pretty much given up hope.

But here's Songs From The West Coast and suddenly, Elton sounds vital again. The album opens on a stunning note: "The Emperor's New Clothes" starts off with a great piano intro and then Elton's voice kicks in; the chorus finds '70's stalwarts Davey Johnstone and Nigel Olsen joining in on backing vocals with cymbal brushes from drummer Olsen, and you find yourself wondering what decade it is. Only the deeper register of Elton's voice gives it away. But Elton sounds fine on this album, with his most soulful and nuanced singing in years. And Lyricist Bernie Taupin gives him plenty of quality stuff to wrap his pipes around. There are plenty of standout tracks: "Original Sin" is one of the most beautiful ballads he's ever written. The country-ish "Birds" harkens back to the Tumbleweed days and sounds like it was recorded on somebody's back porch. "The Wasteland" is a gospel blues that invokes delta bluesman Robert Johnson and rocks convincingly. "I Want Love", the first single, is Lennonesque. "The Ballad Of The Boy In The Red Shoes" sounds like something from the Madman sessions. "This Train Don't stop There Anymore", the wistful album closer, would feel right at home on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

Producer Patrick Leonard also does a fine job, finding a nice balance between modern recording and the backwards-looking quality of this music. The shlock of most of his '90's recordings is gone.

Songs From The West Coast goes a long ways towards restoring a reputation damaged by too many Disney projects and not enough attention to his music. On Songs From The West Coast, Elton John has rediscovered himself.

It's about time.

Inspired by songwriters Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright, Elton returns to his songwriting roots with longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin. In terms of style Songs from the West Coast has little in common with past masterpieces like Tumbleweed Connection. Where Songs works best is recaptures the "spirit" of those early albums. John has come full circle and returned to the "singer/songwriter" era that brought him his earliest success.

The album is far from flawless but there are many jewels to be found on the road to the west coast. Lyrically Bernie Taupin returns to one of his favorite topics the American West. This time, though, Taupin focuses on the contemporary "wild west" that surrounds him. He focuses on both real life topics (Matthew Shepard's murder in American Triangle) and his own loss of faith in humanity (This Train Don't Stop There Anymore). While some of the selections are lyrically obtuse, that doesn't dilute the power of the best songs.

Songs is a rare example of a third act in the music field. At this stage in John's career one could expect him to continue to churn out formulaic songs in the same vein as his late 80's early 90's work. Songs provides us with a snapshot of a performer that is interested in returning to what he's done best in the past--create narrative songs that say something about who we were, who we are and where were going.

With more than 30yrs in the business, more than 25 albums with total album sales of over 200million to his name, Elton John has nothing left to prove. He has won every award and received every accolade the music industry has to offer. Despite never having released a "bad" album, there have been some disappointments - The One had some real killer tracks, but never quite added up to the sum of it's parts, and Made In England had some sublime moments, but again lacked the spark that made the early-1970's albums so special. The Big Picture was a definite improvement, with some fine songs, some of Taupin's finest lyrics and slick grit/polish production, but is still didn't fully satisfy. The only glimmer of greatness in the last 15 years has been 1989's vastly-underrated keyboard-rock odyssey Sleeping With The Past - until now.

Songs From The West Coast is a return to the music that we've not heard EJ make for 25 years. It's a return to the music that made him one of the greatest singer-songwriters ever (if not the greatest...). Listen to this album, and you're instantly reminded of those early albums - echoes Tumbleweed, Don't Shoot Me, Honky Chateau and Madman ring through the piano intros, the arrangements and the vocal harmonies. Even the original band is mostly present - Nigel Olsson is back on the drums for some of the tracks, and the ever-present Davey Johnstone is on guitar. Paul Buckmaster is even back with the orchestra.

The grand piano is dominant, as it should be, and there's barely a synth in earshot. The arrangements are simple, but simply superb. EJ delivers some of the finest Taupin lyrics for decades with a subtlety and warmth that only he can. The voice is the same as that on the Madman album, but the passing years have added a depth, and emotional dexterity that is magnificent, especially on the beautiful, poignant album closer This Train Don't Stop There Anymore, strong contender for best track here. This album bristles with stand-out tracks - there is a weight to American Triangle, a gravitas to The Boy With The Red Shoes and a power to I Want Love that makes them demand repeated listening.

I'm always skeptical when people say "the best thing he's done in X years" - well I'm delighted to say it is true in this case. EJ has not produced anything this good since Blue Moves - and Songs From The West Coast pushes some of his even earlier stuff... Despite having nothing left to prove, it sounds like EJ is out to prove it all, all over again.

"Songs From The West Coast" is the most eagerly awaited Elton John album in some time. Rumours have abounded for months that this album is Elton's best in 25 years. That's a tall order for any release in 2001 by the man who recorded much loved albums in that time, including "Too Low For Zero", "Sleeping With The Past", "The One" and "The Big Picture". Then we heard Elton was more proud of this album than any in a long time and that he is very nervous about its release, as he wants everyone to love it as much as he does.

So, were the rumours true? In a word, ABSOLUTELY!! This album is a tour de force for Elton and Bernie Taupin, who have selected twelve excellent tracks from the 21 they recorded in the sessions. It is a stripped down sound with Elton's piano and Elton's vocals at centre stage, where every fan wants them to be. Supported by guitar, drums, bass and orchestration, with guest appearances by Stevie Wonder, Billy Preston, Rufus Wainwright and Gary Barlow, and with the return of Nigel Olsson on drums, this is a beautiful album, lovingly crafted. Highlights are "Original Sin" - a definite hit; "Ballad Of The Boy In The Red Shoes" - truly a classic song in the vein of "Tiny Dancer"; and "The Emperor's New Clothes", which reminds this writer of "Your Song" in its simplicity and beauty. But it's hard to limit oneself to just these. I can't fault any track on the album.

If you've ever bought an Elton album or if you remember his classic 1970s material with fondness, this album is for you.

If you're a fan of Elton's earlier years, you will like this album. It sounds like he sat down and gave a listen to his earlier albums, from his first self-titled outing to about Yellow Brick Road, then got up and wrote the music for this new album. He plays and sings like the Elton of Old, the phrasing, the voice and piano styling, it's all there. The only song that sounds more the the Elton we've come to know over the last few years is the last song "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore."

In fact, that song and "I Want Love" are the two standout cuts. As a 28-year fan of Elton's music, it's refreshing to listen to this as most of the time I listen to Elton's music, it's usually his stuff from the classic years.

Not that anything's wrong with the later material, but this "retro" sound is more like he's writing what's inside his head instead of writing what might be acceptable in today's market. That's what I liked about Elton's music years ago -- it didn't sound like anything else out there. And that's what I like about this new album -- it's not pop-drivel, it's pure Elton & I like it!