The Union

A legend pays a tribute to a legend

250 thousand million is a fantastic number you can hardly imagine or comprehend that marks the amount of records the legendary Elton John has sold throughout his forty-year music career. He is still in perfectly looking, amazingly playing and superbly singing artist whose songs sound excellent both on CDs and at concerts. When the twenty first century stepped in, John started his slow and graduate return to the music he once picked to make his first steps. In the remote seventies, he went on to conquer North America as he built his music on the solid foundation of US traditions. That was the time when during his gigs he made friends with a man he admired and drew inspiration from when he started out. That was a famous multi-instrumentalist and singer, Leon Russell, who made his name for broad cooperation with leading performers of the sixties and seventies. It is sufficient to name Joe Cocker, Neil Young, Ringo Starr and Bob Dylan to show what status Russell had in the music community back then. Now, Elton John, world’s most respectable and esteemed artist, engaged Russell in making an album called The Union to pay his tribute of honor to him who helped John become what he is today.

Album like a conversation between friends

The Union was recorded line in the studio with minimum sound corrections afterwards and practically without any additional effects nobody needs here. After a couple of first minutes of listening, one will find himself in a warm and cozy atmosphere surrounding the whole making of this record. The entire musical material of the given CD reminds of a peaceful conversation led by two old friends who have not seen each other for many a year. Experienced and talented musicians, Leon and Elton rely on their instincts and need no words to understand and feel what they need to do making each music utterance perfectly precise, consistent and emotional. Like any other truly big and valuable piece of art, the best songs off The Union come to please you all at once, but it takes several listens to reach their essence and deepness. All these tracks hide the spirit of classic American music. It speaks in country language in Jimmy Rodger’s Dream, claps hands to the rhythms of A Dream Come True, grieves in the blues ballad There’s No Tomorrow and enjoys life in the upbeat country-rock If It Wasn’t For Bad, and I Shouldn’t Have Sent Roses. A good friend of both artists, Neil Young dropped in to help them do the ballad Gone To Shiloh.

The Union is an album for all to enjoy

The thing you will never manage to find on The Union is the feeling of competition. John’s and Russell’s piano passages, always airy and delicate, do not reveal any effort to prove the supremacy. The same goes with the vocal parts of both masters of music. You might even think that they agreed specifically to sing following one and the same pattern, which makes their voices sound as once instead of pushing each other out. Elton wrote the largest portion of the album’s material cooperating with his old partner, Bernie Taupin and letting Russell put in his word too. As a result, they penned fourteen songs lasting for about an hour that will end much faster than you might want it to happen. It is crystal clear that The Union is not charged with a big message because these musicians do not want and do not have to prove anything to anybody as their names are already the best guarantee of the best quality. They made this album just to have fun remembering good old times and to bring some more aesthetic pleasure to their numerous listeners.