Elton John, the man who always has been and always will be my musical idol, released a new album today titled "The Lockdown Sessions." I don't love it, but it could be his most impressive work yet.
Just look at the list of features on the record: Dua Lipa, Young Thug, Nicki Minaj, Charlie Puth, Gorillaz...the man has absolutely nothing to prove anymore. He's 74 years old and by some measures the most successful male solo artist in music history. This is the period of his life where he's supposed to stay in his Windsor cottage, record an album of show tunes every four years, and make politically ignorant statements to the press like other aging rock stars. Instead, he has chosen to not only continue writing new music, but collaborate with a cast of today's A-list artists that other adults 30 years his junior have already blindly written off as untalented and obnoxious.
I have immense respect for anyone that can grow old while still keeping a pulse on the young. This isn't Elton trying to be "hip" or "one with the youths." You can tell based on these songs and his interviews that he still gets remarkably excited to discover emerging artists, and it's so inspiring to see someone that age still seeking out these moments of revelation.
As a new addition to his discography, the album is interesting at best; it's a total mixed bag of genres and one-off collaborations that don't combine amazingly well in a single package. But as a model for how to grow old and continually find joy in what's being created in the world, it's an absolute 10/10.
Commenti