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Lunch » Tags » Music » Reviews » Leather Jackets

Leather Jackets

1 rating: 1.0

An album by Elton John

Original CD issued on Geffen Records. TRACK LISTING: [1]. Leather Jackets [2]. Hoop Of Fire [3]. Don't Trust That Woman [4]. Go It Alone [5]. Gypsy Heart [6]. Slow River [7]. Heartache All Over The World [8]. Angeline [9]. Memory Of Love [10]. Paris … see full wiki

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Mixed Bag But Still A Lot of Fun

Apr 5, 2009

by KevinTRod
posted in Music Matters

Rating:

Despite being one of the biggest commercial artists of our time, Sir Elton John has never been known for being an album artist. Instead people see him as more of a single artist, one who writes tons of music, but whose singles are the only ones people give a damn about. His 20th album, titled "Leather Jackets," is solid proof why his albums shouldn't be ignored. This is his lowest selling album to date. It yielded no successful singles. Even Elton himself claimed it to be his least favorite album. But is it bad? No. In fact, while none of these songs became hits they sound fresh and enjoyable. One has to wonder who botched the marketing of this album for it to NOT be a success! The album opens with the title track which is catchy and fun. This track also is a prelude to what the rest of the album is going to be: Bouncy stuff you can dance to.

Most fans of Elton will be shocked at the lack of ballads or piano work. Most of the album sounds like it was recorded with mostly electronic drums and synthesizers. That may make the sound more like Phil Collins then Elton John, but Elton is a good enough singer that the songs don't suffer from the lack of his trademark sounds. Oh, there are some slower songs to even out many of the upbeat songs (like the second track, "Hoop of Fire"), but this is mostly a dance album. There's even a cameo collaboration with Cher on the third track ("Don't Trust That Woman"), which also happens to be one of the highlights of the album. Why this song wasn't released as a single I'll never know.

Sadly, for all the praise I give this album, I should mention that near the end the electronic drums and up tempo beats start to wear out their welcome. It starts to sound the same after awhile. Thankfully the Elton saves the album with his last two tracks, "Paris" and "I Fall Apart," which feel like very personal songs in an otherwise mass-produced album. One wonders if these songs would have become classics if they were played by him on a piano. Right now you're probably wondering whether I recommend this or not. I understand the dilemma, as this review has been a little mixed. I ultimately do recommend it as it offers a solid selection of songs. I just give it a low pass because I see it as something that starts to sound too similar the longer you listen to it.

Grade: *** and a half stars

Download This: Don't Trust That Woman, Go At It Alone, Heartache All Over The World

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