Wilder Music

By Delilah Salisbury.

Written and recorded in 20 days, this collaborative album between 11 time GRAMMY-Award winning artist Brandi Carlile and 19th EGOT winner and national treasure Sir Elton John is a distinct transformation from either artist’s prior work.

After collaborating with each other previously, both on John’s 2021 album called The Lockdown Sessions as well as more recently on the song Never Too Late, the lead single from the Disney+ documentary film Elton John: Never Too Late, which highlights John’s retirement tour, he has been determined to make an album with Carlile.

The album’s opening track, The Rose of Laura Nyro, daringly starts with a 2-minute long instrumental, captivating the listener from the beginning with the electrifying synthesiser and the bracing notes of Carlile’s guitar, reaching the ear with striking clarity. The song is a tribute to John’s lifelong idol, the American singer/song-writer Laura Nyro. He pays homage to his favourite song of hers, Eli’s comin’ from the album Eli And The Thirteenth Confession, by opening the track with the chorus melody of that song.

Since the album’s release on Friday (4th April), it has been well-received by fans and the public alike, with most taking a liking to the title track Who believes In Angels?, written as an inspirational song to uplift and enlighten whoever listens to it. The song opens with John’s familiar piano, playing a simple yet already enchanting melody to convey the simplicity of the song’s message. Carlile’s soothing voice is heard as one of reason, reassuring the listener that they needn’t try so hard to be liked by those who don’t truly care for you.

The repeated lyric “I’ve been there. Man, I’ve been there.” feels like an inside joke between Carlile, John and the listener, the light humour adding to the listener’s connection to the singers and the track itself.

It is in this song that we truly appreciate the difference in Carlile and John’s respective voices and hear the strength it gives the song and its message. The contrast between John’s soulful voice with Carlile’s more clear and bright voice gives the lyrics a reflective tone. This is particularly notable in the lyric “Even the diamonds look like rocks to the untrained eye.” assuring the listener that the real treasures are found only by those who really look. The descending vocal scale of the chorus when the two sing at full volume and force evokes an emotive response, solidifying the importance of the song’s message.

Both singers have a solo track on the album, with both having just as much emotion and sentimentality as the other. In Carlile’s, You Without Me, she sings about her daughter growing up and separating herself from her mother in developing her own opinions and the contrasting feelings of devastation and pride that comes with it. Their producer, Andrew Watt, chose for Carlile to use a rubber bridge guitar in recording this song, allowing the focus to be on the lyrics and the vocals more than the melody to get across the vulnerability and raw emotions of the song. The purposeful harmonies of Carlile’s calming, mellow voice are sure to bring a tear to the listener’s eye.

John’s solo track, fittingly the final track on the album, When This Old World Is Done With Me is about reflecting on one’s own mortality. He begins the track with the classic piano we are all familiar with from previous Elton John songs, but this time it feels like he isn’t trying as hard to entertain the listener but rather just play and appreciate the music for himself. The song feels as though John is introducing the idea to his audience that he is not going to be around forever and, in light of his retirement tour, feels like the beginning of the final goodbye. Throughout the track, there are chord progressions similar to those of his prior songs but most notably we hear a touching array of various aspects of many of his songs in the instrumental leading us out and ending the album.

This album manages perfectly to balance the sentimental and more emotional tracks with the up-beat, positive ones. Each and every song has such a well-thought-out and meaningful message, making listening to it a much more personal experience. One of Carlile’s songs and a more uplifting track of the album, Swing For The Fences, was made as an anthem for young people in the LGBTQ+ community to remind them that if Sir Elton John and Brandi Carlile can achieve their dreams then so can they, no matter how much they are being told they can’t.

Who Believes In Angels? is an album sure to stick around, touching on incredibly important parts of the world we live in, while simultaneously managing to put a positive spin on those aspects of life. Although John said he wanted to create something different to his typical catalog and take a step away from the Elton John we all know, the album still contains much of the pizzazz and personality that he always brings to his work.

This album is nothing short of fabulous.