Elton and Brandi
Who doesn’t love Sir Elton? Legendary. Iconic. Beloved. “Your Song” stopped my heart. He never disappointed with what came next. Tumbleweed, Madman, Yellow Brick Road and beyond. “Harmony,” and “Bennie And The Jets” are my personal faves. If I’m in my driveway I do NOT cut the engine until the song is over. And then some, just to compose myself.
Who doesn’t love Brandi Carlile? What’s not to love? She’s joyous, critically acclaimed, a passionate champion of racial justice and LGBTQ rights. I saw her twice at the Hollywood Bowl. She lights up the night. Her voice. Her yodel. Her depth. Some say she’s an over-exposed over-achiever. But she got Joni back on stage. So all good!
I hopped onto the elliptical at my gym the other day excited to delve into Who Believes In Angels, the album that Elton and Brandi recently released as a collaborative effort. I expected it would be so awesome that my workout would go faster. (The best part for me is when it’s over — the work I mean, not an album.)
I peddled away.
I found myself not so excited.
I kept going.
By the end of the album I was sadly underwhelmed and my workout seemed to have taken forever. 😡
The record just felt so try-hard. The songs — more conjured than inspired. There was a whole lot of revving it up to 11 for the sake of revving it up to 11.
Maybe I need a few more listens?
But nothing was really beckoning me back.
With the exception of 2 tracks — The Sufjan Stevens/Phoebe Bridges-esque “You Without Me.” I was definitely relieved at the lowering of the volume after the previous song. Um, you don’t have to sing hard to reach me. (Where did you go KD Lang?) Brandi sounds more understated here although I don’t know what she’s singing about. But see, I don’t care cuz it makes me feel what I want to feel. And I liked that feeling.
(Funny … as a dominant lyricist I connect to music first when I listen to songs … and the aesthetic of the words. If all that moves me, I will go back and look for meaning.)
The other - “Who Believes in Angels” is a gorgeous melody … the best of the batch imo. I don’t know what they’re singing about on this one either 😵💫 and again idc. But by the end of the song it graduates to yet another opus instead of staying at the tender temperature that invited me in.
Even on SNL it felt like there was an excessive effort by the band (especially the white-haired guitarist behind Elton) to look like fun was being had. Cringy.
Elton didn’t look like he was having fun. Am I imagining this?
My hubby commented that the intros to the 2 songs they performed sounded like caricatures (not rips) of past Elton masterpieces —“Little Richard’s Bible” ➡️ “I’m Still Standing” and “Who Believes in Angels” ➡️ “Your Song.”
Brandi has collaborated with a plethora of artists since she emerged. For Elton, it was all Bernie in the beginning. They were a magical combination. But one has to get into bed with other ppl because you never know how they’ll tap into places within you that never got explored. I get it.
But …. I’ll just say it … at the risk of being boo’d: It feels like artists are asking themselves with whom they should pair-up in order to stay on the charts, make history, win an award. Does Great + Great = Great?
If your collaboration isn’t the mind-blow you hoped it would be, how about … call it a nice try? Time well spent. A deeper friend made. Release 2 singles!
Of course we don’t always hit the ball out of the park but ideally we strive to. Maybe my expectations for my heroes are too high.
So I’m left asking myself if every body-of-work be a crowning achievement. Maybe the ‘beloved-ness’ of these 2 cherished artists together is enough.
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