With this new video, Elton John returns to the contemplative approach that made his early-1970s work so resonant, though “Home Again” finds him sounding older, wiser and (with a sadly nostalgic lyric) deeply aware of the time that has passed. Much of it was, of course, wasted — but John seems ready of late to make up for lost opportunities.
In the end, he not only recaptures — along with a critical assist from classic-era confederate Bernie Taupin — some piece of the magic that surrounded John’s best-known period, he adds new splashes of dark color to the pursuit. “Home Again,” and this is to its lasting credit, doesn’t ultimately portray his journey as a return to simpler, idyllic times, but instead unfolds like a rueful admonition to anyone who’s too quick to toss something important to the side.
The 15-track The Diving Board, John’s first solo disc in some seven years, is due on September 24, 2013 via Capitol Records. Working again with producer T Bone Burnett, John composed 12 new songs, including “Home Again,” to go with a trio of connective piano interludes.
Burnett, who oversaw John’s out-of-nowhere comeback alongside Leon Russell, similarly eliminates the studio theatrics that have marred so much of the singer-songwriter’s work since his initial hey day. “Home Again” places John’s piano up front, and other than a delicately conveyed brass accompaniment, largely leaves it at that.
That only adds to the swirling atmosphere of reminiscence, and to the heart-rending sense of finality surrounding “Home Again.”
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