Elton John and Brandi Carlile - Who Believes in Angels? (Album Review)
Friday, 11 April 2025
Written by Jack Press
Photo: Peggy Sirota
At 78 and with his touring days behind him, you might expect Sir Elton John to be content resting on his laurels, legacy secured. But ‘Who Believes In Angels?, a collaborative album with Americana great Brandi Carlile, proves there’s still fire in those piano-playing fingers.
This 10 track collection feels like eavesdropping on two musical giants sharing stories shaped across generations. The majestic opener The Rose of Laura Nyro unfolds like stadium-sized origami, all surround-sound synths and marching band drums, before Red Hot Chili Pepper Chad Smith’s percussion kicks Elton’s piano into life.
It’s cinematic and unashamedly dramatic, scattering lyrical breadcrumbs that pay homage to an overlooked icon in Nyro, one of Elton’s favourite artists.
Little Richard's Bible, meanwhile, pulls strands from 1972’s ‘Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player’ — think Crocodile Rock and Elderberry Wine’s rollicking piano bounce — while cleverly dissecting Richard's complex relationship with faith and sexuality.
Elsewhere, Carlile and John’s longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin explore legacy and time —when Carlile proclaims, “Don't the years make jokes of all of us?" on the symphonic Never Too Late, it resonates beautifully as both a personal moment of reflection and creative mission statement.
The album’s heart beats loudest, though, when the duo fully embrace their cross-generational musicality. Swing For The Fences is an anthem dripping with country twang and fist-pumping drums, with the line “They’re high-five dodgers, and baby they don’t deserve you” serving as a battle cry for self-acceptance.
Meanwhile, The River Man shapeshifts between rustic Americana and ‘70s rock bombast with dazzling precision. Taken together, it feels like the creative booster shot Elton’s been needing for nearly two decades. If his last studio album ‘The Lockdown Sessions’ felt scattershot, this feels purposeful — a meeting of kindred spirits rather than a calculated pairing. Carlile proves the perfect foil, jolting fresh energy into Elton’s songcraft while honouring his legacy.
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