Elton John: The Diving Board - 2014
Elton John's first album for seven years, which was by far his longest absence from releasing material. This is a more piano-led album than those that had been before. He had released the excellent collaboration with Leon Russell, The Union, however.
Oceans Away is a lovely, melodic, piano-only opener, while Oscar Wilde Gets Out is a darkly rhythmic, moving tale of the unfortunate playwright. This song features strings and a full band backing too, effectively. That production once again harks back to the Elton John album. A Town Called Jubilee has some country-ish blues guitar and some Bernie Taupin Americana lyrics.
As with most of the output from 2001 there are significant hints of their recording past in John and Taupin's work on this album - Americana, bluesy tracks, country-ish tracks, rollicking piano, nostalgic lyrics. They are all there, but as with most of Elton's recent backyard-echoing material, they don't recall the hits i.e. Rocket Man, Crocodile Rock and the like. They bring to mind songs like Sixty Years On, First Night At Hienton, Where To Now St. Peter, Have Mercy On The Criminal and Susie (Dramas). If you are familiar with Elton's seventies material, you will know what I mean.
The Ballad Of Blind Tom is an appealing blues-based number with an excellent piano backing and some thumping drums. My Quicksand is a stark, mournful lament of a piano ballad. Long and languid, it has a strong vocal and an evocative refrain about "waking up with an accent" after going to Paris once. Elton also lapses into some classical piano at one stage. Can't Stay Alone Tonight gets the mood back up again with a country blues-ish upbeat number.
Voyeur is a rich, warm, bassy ballad. Home Again is bleaker, piano and haunting strings only. It has an instantly appealing chorus and is reminiscent of some of the material on The Union. Take This Dirty Water is one of those piano-led bluesy numbers like Take Me To The Pilot or Honky Cat, enhanced by some gospel-style backing vocals.
The melodic, sad The New Fever Waltz has a real feel of an old song but I can't put my finger on what it is. Mexican Vacation (Kids In The Candlelight) is a rousing barroom blues rocker and The Diving Board is a jazzy, late night closer to an atmospheric, beguiling album.
One thing I would say about this album, though, is that, like many of its time, it is probably about two or three tracks too long. For me, it would have more effect if it were a few tracks shorter. Of course, I could always just not play a few of them, but I aways feel that somehow I should play albums through.
A non-album track from this album's sessions was the appealing mid-pace ballad Candlelit Bedroom. It fitted in fine with the rest of the album, so may as well have been included.
There were also live versions of Home Again, Mexican Vacation (Kids In The Candlelight) and The New Fever Waltz.
