There comes a time when even legends have to hang up their spurs. Or, in Elton John’s case, the spangly jackets. Luckily, though, ‘The Diving Board’ proves that there are plenty of chapters yet to be written in this particular story.
Produced by T Bone Burnett and played by a small, stripped-back band consisting of John’s piano and a smattering of guitars over understated bass and drums, ‘The Diving Board’ puts its creators at front and centre.
John’s piano is the dominant force throughout its 15 tracks, flitting between the lead on stately ballads, to ragtime flourishes and classic pop.
The lyrics of Bernie Taupin, meanwhile, are colourful and verbose, hitting the mark on many occasions and flying wide on others.
John excels on A Town Called Jubilee, Voyeur and the album’s lead single, Home Again, all of which sound like classic cuts from his early releases, while a similar mood seeps through Oceans Away, Taupin’s emotional treatment of war and its human cost: “Those that flew, those that fell, the ones that had to stay. Beneath a little wooden cross, oceans away.”
Elsewhere, the title track is a reflection on youth and fame that plods, while My Quicksand is maudlin and features some of the record’s clunkier lines, an affliction that also does for the wordy Oscar Wilde Gets Out.
Nevertheless, ‘The Diving Board’ is the sound of great artists taking their new material seriously. Even when things go astray, that overwhelming sense of care and attention remains.
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