Elton John
Songs From the West Coast

In the 1960s, he had lingered without success in the British musical undergrowth, in the '70s he became a globally renowned star, writing many of the most beautiful pages in the history of contemporary pop, in the '80s he battled against his demons, as shown by the uncertain and very fluctuating outcomes of his music during that decade, in the '90s he allowed the frame to suffocate the painting, the character to overshadow the artist, but gifted us with two pearls like "The One" and "Made In England," and finally, at the dawn of the '00s, what will probably be his last full-fledged decade as a "recording artist," Reginald Kenneth Dwight takes charge again, decides to set aside the understandable extravagances of a great artist who has already arrived, and plunges headlong back into the art of songwriting: the awakening of the old lion never completely dormant is "Songs From The West Coast" of 2001.

"Songs From The West Coast" is a rather simple album; an album of songs, of beautiful songs: it's different from "Made In England" but equally beautiful, equally personal, and is an album of great quality: in "Songs From The West Coast" there are no chart-busting songs and insipid jingles for TV commercials: the arrangements serve as simple accompaniment, electronics are completely banned, and the absolute protagonists are Elton and his piano, crafting captivating and at the same time refined melodies, to be listened to and appreciated calmly, without haste, with the warm and confidential tones of the reflective and retrospective "The Emperor's New Clothes", which can almost be considered a preview of "The Captain And The Kid" and "Black Diamond", with Stevie Wonder on the harmonica like in the times of "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" to one of the most incisive piano-rocks of our hero's last 30 years of career, "The Wasteland", where the ghost of bluesman Robert Johnson is evoked, passing through the bittersweet country taste of "Birds", the typically Eltonian artisanal pop expressed in the light "Look Ma No Hands", the passionate and thrilling "I Want Love", and the nostalgic and sweetly crepuscular "Mansfield", to arrive at a trio of great ballads like the poignant "Ballad Of The Boy In The Red Shoes", "Original Sin", heart-wrenching, intimate, and masterfully supported by the orchestrations of Paul Buckmaster and the guitar of Davey Johnstone and "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore", with which EJ closes the album once again showcasing his high-caliber crooner skills.

"American Triangle" deserves a special mention, one of the most committed songs in our hero’s repertoire and also one of the most heartfelt and personal (the lyrics, even though they bear Bernie Taupin's signature, were primarily written by Elton himself), which for its emotional pathos turns out to be the most immediately impactful track on the album, as well as the one with the greatest artistic and thematic depth.

After years of uncertainty and quite improbable releases, "Songs From The West Coast" decidedly marks the start of a bright Indian summer for the pianist from Pinner: Bernie Taupin's high-caliber texts, perfectly in line with the mood of the album, and Elton John's voice; husky, weakened, and devoid of the freshness of the better times, yet still unique and moving, along with the music, of course, make "Songs From The West Coast" a great album that managed to win over even the most skeptical and biased critics regarding Elton John, and above all, "Songs Of The West Coast" is an album of an artist now mature who can look back with a smile and the pride of someone who knows they’ve had a unique and unrepeatable career, despite all its flaws, mistakes, and slips which, at least as far as I'm concerned, rather than devaluing make EJ a "genuine" star with a human face, far from the icy programming and rigid marketing rules of showbiz, and this can only increase my sympathy and admiration for this artist, a true and inimitable pop genius.