Music icon Elton John has pleased fans yet again by releasing his newest album “Wonderful Crazy Night.” His classic piano sound is back with a modern spin. This gives him the chance to catch a new audience as well as his old fans.
The album starts off with the song that shares the name of the album itself, “Wonderful Crazy Night.” The joyful beginning to John’s 2016 debut foreshadows the tone for the piece as a whole, cheerful rock. It sounds weird now but it makes sense once listened to.
You’ll recognize that soulful voice immediately with the bouncy, merry piano rock.
The one song that will stand out above all else is the seventh track, “Looking Up.” This is the one to remember when thinking about this album. It gives the listener a break of focusing on the piano in songs and gives you catchy guitar riffs you’ll be humming the rest of your day. It still has the same upbeat sound like most of the songs on this album, but it also sounds more fun and easy to dance to given the extended use of the guitar.
It’s not an excuse to ignore John’s superb piano playing. That is very abundant in this song as well, like every song on here, which is not a bad thing at all. It may have a very similar happy sounding style but it works so well on “Looking Up.”
Two other songs that are noticeable throughout listening are “Blue Wonderful” and “A Good Heart.” These songs show a blues like style to them by being very slow and full of emotion. The piano is beautiful, especially for the slow tones of the songs.
They seem partially out of place because the whole album sounds so fun. Most songs give the urge to at least tap your foot a little bit. These two songs seem like downers compared to the whole album.
Simply put, “Wonderful Crazy Night” is fun in most aspects. Most songs do sound a touch the same, which might lead listeners to stop the album midway. Some variety to the tone would make the album easier to listen in one go without skipping songs. On the other hand, the fans that know Elton John and love his classic sound will not be disappointed.
