Elton John Songs From The West Coast CD

Personnel includes: Elton John (vocals, piano); Rufus Wainwright (vocals); Bruce Gaitsch, David Channing (acoustic guitar); Davey Johnstone (guitar, background vocals); Rusty Anderson (guitar); Stevie Wonder (harmonica, Clavinet); Billy Preston, Patrick Leonard (Hammond B-3 organ); Paul Bushnell (bass, background vocals); Matt Chamberlain, Nigel Olsson (drums, background vocals); Jay Bellerose (percussion); Tata Vega, Kudisan Kai (background vocals).
Engineers include: Joe Chiccarelli, Brian Scheuble, David Channing.
SONGS FROM THE WEST COAST was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. "I Want Love" was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
"Original Sin" was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
Personnel: Elton John (vocals, piano, harmonium); Davey Johnstone (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, background vocals); Rusty Anderson (guitar, electric guitar); David Channing (acoustic guitar, dobro); Bruce Gaitsch (acoustic guitar); Stevie Wonder (harmonica, Clavinet); Patrick Leonard (organ, Mellotron, keyboards); Billy Preston (organ); Matt Chamberlain (drums, percussion); Nigel Olsson (drums, background vocals); Jay Bellerose (percussion); Gary Barlow, Paul Bushnell, Tata Vega (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Alan Sanderson; Joe Chiccarelli; Bill Bottrell.
Recording information: Cello Studios (09/18/2000-04/30/2001); Johnny Yuma Recording (09/18/2000-04/30/2001); Ocean Way Studios (09/18/2000-04/30/2001); Sony Studios (09/18/2000-04/30/2001); The Townhouse, London, England (09/18/2000-04/30/2001); Wonderland (09/18/2000-04/30/2001).
Throughout his songs for The Road to El Dorado, Elton John hinted at his classic sound of the early '70s, but it's still a refreshing surprise to find him largely returning to that sound on his 2001 album, Songs From the West Coast. It was easy to think that John wasn't interested in writing like this anymore, given not just his continued success, but the ease with which he was crafting pleasant adult contemporary records. There are still elements of that on Songs From the West Coast -- a few of the ballads are a little too even-handed, and since this is a modern recording, it lacks the resonant warmth of such classics as Honky Chateau and Tumbleweed Connection. Still, this is the richest, best record he's released in a long time, an album where it feels like a hit single is secondary to the sheer pleasure of craft, whether it's crafting a song or an album. And this is an album that flows easily and naturally, setting the mood with the story sketch "The Emperor's New Clothes" and then heading in a number of scenic directions. Of these, "American Triangle," his elegy for Matthew Shepard, will likely receive the most attention, but the most interesting are songs like the bluesy "The Wasteland," "Ballad of the Boy in the Red Shoes," which recalls the Tumbleweed epics, the neo-Captain Fantastic tune "Dark Diamond," the soulful closer "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore," and "Birds," a terrific, spare, rolling country-rocker. His songwriting hasn't been this diverse or consistent since the early '80s, and he hasn't made a record better than this in years. No, Songs From the West Coast won't make you forget Tumbleweed Connection, but it often recalls those peaks, which, frankly, is enough. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
SONGS FROM THE WEST COAST is the album for all those who idolize HONKY CHATEAU and CAPTAIN FANTASTIC but feared that Elton John had become Disneyfied beyond repair in the '90s. Whether the inspiration was aesthetic hunger or mid-life crisis, Elton decided to team up with lyricist Bernie Taupin--the man who helped pen all those '70s classics--to produce a more direct, stripped-down album than he's seemed capable of since his glory days. There's no overblown orchestration here, just simple arrangements based quite rightly around Elton's piano and voice.
PlaRolling Stone (10/11/01, p.92) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...It aims to recapture the expansive sounds and sensibility of MADMAN ACROSS THE WATER, HONKY CHATEAU and other early vehicles that blasted pop's rocket man into the AM-FM stratosphere....Elton's spirit and ambition have finally come back home."
Q (10/01, p.125) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...This LP has an alt-country lope, some old-school close miking and is far removed fromt he 'bad years'....with superb, Dylan-voiced songs..."
Mojo (Publisher) (11/01, p.108) - "...Outmusic for outpeople..."