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(More customer reviews)As he mentions in the liner notes - and on the 6-minute bonus DVD that accompanies the deluxe edition - "The Union" is Elton John's acknowledgement of Leon Russell's profound influence on his skill set as a pianist and vocal interpreter.
And what an acknowledgement it is. Elton collaborates warmly and enthusiastically with Russell (producer T-Bone Burnett accommodates this well), sharing equal disc space. This is a definite joint effort - one that set outs to recapture both the decades lost between these two irreplaceable musicians and that early 70s sound listeners associate with both of them. Happily, it succeeds.
"Gone to Shiloh," a southern-fried ballad fraught with pain and longing (many of the songs here are - this is a mostly downbeat record), would sound at home, for instance, on Russell's classic-self-titled record and Elton's indestructible "Tumbleweed Connection." Neil Young contributes a verse.
The same goes for "Jimmie Rodgers' Dream," the chugging "Monkey Suit" and "Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes," an elegant, classy tribute to Russell from Elton. To the attentive ear their melodies may suggest preceding work from Elton from the past decade or so - inevitable in a long, prolific career - but the results are so strong that it is a non-issue.
Elton has not sounded this animated since 2001's "Songs from the West Coast." His lively vocals on "Hey Ahab" and assistance on Russell's gospel-fused "Hearts Have Turned to Stone" are evidence enough. The latter is razor-sharp and absolutely harrowing in its commentary on the frigidity of contemporary life.
Russell is indeed in his absolute element. His "If It Wasn't For Bad" is the lead single and opening track, and its haunting, hurts-so-good ruminations on unhappy love are instantly catchy. His lyrics here have such cut and undercurrent that they reveal their profundity and ache with increased plays, which are beckoned with each spin of the album.
His collaboration with Elton's lyricist Bernie Taupin "I Should Have Sent Roses" is another fine example. A duet with Elton, it is one of the sharpest, most biting tracks in the latter-day catalogues of either musician.
"When Love Is Dying" and "Never Too Old (to Hold Somebody)" are even stronger. Plaintive and emotion-filled without descending to saccharine sweetness, they benefit from the singers' oaken voices and well-practiced studio skills. Between these men is nearly a century's worth of practice and refinement of skill, and the results reflect it. These songs sound effortless and matter-of-fact, as though the sentiments they express are at once confirmed truths.
Elton John and Leon Russell should have sat down to record 20 years ago - that much is certain - but they make up for lost time very well. "The Union" is a collaboration that lives up to the promise and hype it entails.
The deluxe edition contains two additional tracks: "My Kind of Hell" and the gorgeous "Mandalay Again."
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Set for release by Universal in October, 2010, and produced by T Bone Burnett, The Union marks the culmination of a mutual musical adoration that began in the late 1960s, ahead of Elton's debut US performance in 1970 at The Troubadour Club in Los Angeles. The album is a collaboration between Elton and Leon Russell, with songs by Elton and Bernie Taupin; by Elton, Bernie and Leon; by Elton and Leon and by Leon alone.The Union was recorded in Los Angeles earlier this year, with guest musicians including Brian Wilson, Booker T, Don Was and Neil Young. Cameron Crowe has filmed the sessions for a documentary, creating too a moment of history as this is the first time that the genesis of Elton's music has been recorded on film. Critics who have had an early preview of the album are united in praise for the work that Elton describes as a "Seventies record with a modern feel."
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