Elton John
The Union

I'm completing Elton's discography on Debasio with the last missing piece for 10 years, The Union. The project is a novelty for Elton, as he had never released an album of original songs in collaboration with just one other artist. The album was born when Elton, in 2009, listened to Leon Russell's 1997 Retrospective and was struck, thinking about the early concerts he himself held in America where Russell was an audience member. Over the years, he confirmed the importance of Leon Russell's music and figure in his artistic growth. The two had only met once, in 1970, when Russell was at the peak of his career and Elton was a newcomer. But over the decades, the situation reversed, with Elton becoming a world star and Russell losing popularity and ending up in the musical underground. So, after 40 years, Elton decided to offer his old idol the chance to regain popularity and a good economic condition. The rockstar, after contacting producer T-Bone Burnett, convinced Leon to be part of the project, inspired by the album Raising Sand, also produced by Burnett, featuring Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. The main theme of the album centers around the Wild West, and Leon Russell helped create that atmosphere. The first song to be composed was A Dream Come True, with Russell being called The Master by Elton, and Elton being called The Governor by Russell. A very strong bond was immediately formed, and indeed, in four days, ten songs were composed, including I Should Have Sent Roses. After an operation, Leon presented his song, The Hands of Angels, dedicated to the manager who saved his life, to Elton and the band members. The producer's goal was to make the album old-fashioned, eliminating the electronic trend and bringing back the flavor of Elton's early records. The result is astounding, and it definitively consecrates Elton's artistic rebirth, which began in 2000 with the soundtrack for Eldorado and continued with a series of valuable albums, such as Song from the West Coast, Peachtree Road, and The Captain and the Kid. Some consider it Elton's best album post-1978 and a true heir in the new millennium to those great masterpieces like Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across the Water. Some tracks from the album are presented by Elton on his tour with Ray Cooper, including Gone to Shiloh and When Love Is Dying. As for promotion, The Union enjoyed an excellent promotional campaign by Universal, although only in the United States and the United Kingdom, while in other countries the album went practically unnoticed. The first three singles released were If It Wasn't for Bad, When Love Is Dying, and I Should Have Sent Roses. The album was presented on July 5, 2010, in Europe and July 20 in the States, and was immediately very positively received by critics, with reviews giving the album 4 and even 5 stars, something that hadn't happened to an Elton album since the distant '70s. Someone even called it "the new Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." The album was released in two versions, the standard one containing 14 tracks and the Deluxe one containing 16. In countries where it did not get a response, despite glowing reviews from critics, the lack of promotion and the album's non-commercial sound must be blamed.

Deluxe version album tracklist, with asterisks to indicate the tracks I liked the most and/or are actually the best:

1. If It Wasn't for Bad (Leon Russell) * (lead single, great song! listen to believe)
2. Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes *
3. Hey Ahab *
4. Gone to Shiloh * (you can maintain a certain concentration on the first four)
5. Hearts Have Turned to Stone (Leon Russell)
6. Jimmie Rodgers' Dream
7. There's No Tomorrow
8. Monkey Suit
9. The Best Part of the Day* (after four songs that don't capture you, these four do)
10. A Dream Come True*
11. I Should Have Sent Roses*
12. When Love Is Dying*
13. My Kind of Hell
14. Mandalay Again
15. Never Too Old (to Hold Somebody)
16. The Hands of Angels (Leon Russell)* (masterpiece)

Personal rating: 4 and a half stars.