Forced off the road by the COVID-19 pandemic,
Elton John
kept himself busy by collaborating with friends, peers, admirers, and new guns. Those collaborations form the core of
The Lockdown Sessions
, a determinedly eclectic album that touches upon nearly every side of
John
's musical personality. Occasionally,
specifically dredges up the past, as on "Cold Heart," where
Pnau
remixes three
Elton
oldies while
Dua Lipa
sings the chorus to "Rocket Man," or he makes a sly wink at an old favorite as when he and
Eddie Vedder
stir up some "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" vibes on "E-Ticket." The fact that
features the
Pearl Jam
singer along with the British pop sensation
Lipa
just scratches the surface of the eclecticism.
finds space for everyone from hip-hop sensation
Lil Nas X
to Americana stalwart
Brandi Carlile
, even resurrecting
Glen Campbell
for a posthumous duet on "I'm Not Gonna Miss You." Although
Campbell
released his solo version of "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," that's not one of the many previously released tracks here: "One of Me" shows up on
's debut, the version of
Metallica
's "Nothing Else Matters" with
Miley Cyrus
(and
Yo-Yo Ma
) shows up on the deluxe edition of
The Black Album
,
Gorillaz
put out "The Pink Phantom" on
Song Machine
, plus he duetted with
Olly Alexander
of
Years and Years
on a version of
Pet Shop Boys
' "It's a Sin" at the Brit Awards, a performance that shows up here. The presence of these records doesn't contribute to the patchwork feel of
: the album was already plenty fragmented without these cuts. Part of the appeal is that it sounds like a shape-shifting, genre-bending playlist, an hour of snazzy modern pop where
is the center of gravity. The record is at its best when it's close to an old-fashioned duet album.
Carlile
steers
back toward his AOR '70s on "Simple Things," he finds sympathetic partners in schmaltz with
Charlie Puth
and
Jimmie Allen
, and sounds at ease duetting with
Stevie Wonder
. Those are the moments where
's personality shines through, whereas some of the modern dance music feels as if he's endorsing the proceedings instead of participating. If
occasionally recedes from the spotlight,
demonstrates how he remains a powerful presence in pop even when he's in the midst of a farewell tour. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine