The Lockdown Sessions by Elton JohnPublication Date: 2021
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, John 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 The Lockdown Sessions features the Pearl Jam singer along with the British pop sensation Lipa just scratches the surface of the eclecticism. Elton 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." Part of the appeal is that it sounds like a shape-shifting, genre-bending playlist, an hour of snazzy modern pop where Elton John is the center of gravity.