Things Are Looking Up For Elton John

We'll have officially hit Armageddon when Elton John's creative well runs dry. No chance of that happening anytime soon though. His new album's called "Wonderful Crazy Night" and its first single goes by the name "Looking Up". This song crackles with Elton's trademark enthusiasm. He knows how to squeeze every drop of life from the material in front of him. His versatility, honed over four decades, remains in fine form. The conflicted young man has blossomed into a jolly old sage who has learned pearls of wisdom, and never shies away from his gift for showing it to the rest of us. His backing musicians elevate Elton's handiwork to neat new levels. The drumming has purpose to spare, the bridge guitar didn't leave its oomph on the cutting room floor. In the end though it's Elton's world, a place that's been a gas to visit over and over again. Its accompanying video puts Elton's color and joir de vivre center stage. Certain artists command excitement each time they put a new record out. That's an exclusive list to be on. Smartly, Elton eases us into his paint by numbers landscape, allowing us to soak in whirlpool bath comfort before he shifts chords. We like the fiesta we have joined and are therefore loathe to turn away. I think it's a fair question to ask anyone who has ever come within spitting distance of music appreciation this question, "Has anyone out there not had the soundtrack of his/her life intertwined with one of Elton John's massive hits?" Whatever mood you've ever been in he's been there with a track to serve as tension easing or life affirming. I'd place "Looking Up" squarely in the latter category. His wisdom reigns supreme, as the lyrics will attest. Right up from you can tell Elton has forged a real storyteller's sensibility. The lyrics I draw reference to are "Figuring out where I went wrong. The script not followed then was awfully long." Sentiments sung like a man who knows what it means to survive. Add to that the chorus, which revels in letting the past stay where it belongs. What hasn't Elton, or should I properly say, Sir Elton, done at this stage of his career? I hope this road doesn't end anytime soon because taking the journey with him doesn't skimp on the rewards. My own appreciation for Elton began in the '80s, years after his gaudy fashion sense and lyrical astuteness took hold. From "Empty Garden" to "I'm Still Standing" to "Nikita", Elton left in his wake a string of indelible hits. He has come to be the Betty White of the music world in that, like the spunky nonagenarian, he's been a fixture in our entertainment lives for so long that if he dropped off the planet tomorrow we'd definitely notice. Elton's gifts are a once in a lifetime experience. "Looking Up" looks and sounds like another round of vintage Elton.