ADRIAN THRILLS reviews Elton John and Brandi Carlile 'Who Believes in Angels?': Sir Elton's fresh start at 78 - with a dazzling new co-star

ADRIAN THRILLS reviews Elton John and Brandi Carlile 'Who Believes in Angels?': Sir Elton's fresh start at 78 - with a dazzling new co-star By ADRIAN THRILLS Published: 00:47 BST, 4 April 2025 | Updated: 01:04 BST, 4 April 2025 e-mail View comments Elton John & Brandi Carlile: Who Believes In Angels? (Island EMI) Verdict: Emotional tour de force Rating: When a music legend hints at bringing the curtain down on an illustrious career, it's best to treat their words with caution. And so it's proving with Elton John . In 2023, he retired from touring after playing Glastonbury and completing 330 shows on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.

His plan was to take a break and spend time with husband David Furnish and their two sons. Yet here he is, two years on, promoting an all-new duets album with American singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. We shouldn't be too surprised, though: since his 'farewell' tour finished in Stockholm, he has overseen a Disney+ documentary about his early years and sung with Dua Lipa at the Royal Albert Hall.



Last week, he played the London Palladium with Carlile. Now he's taking his comeback to another level. Elton John and Brandi Carlile pictured together on stage on March 26 at The London Palladium The cover art for Elton John and Brandi Carlile's new album Who Believes In Angels? which was released today Elton and Brandi pictured together on stage speaking to the crowd during their live show which will air on ITV1 on April 19 Written and recorded from scratch in 20 days, Who Believes In Angels? is a genuine collaboration, with Elton-led songs, Brandi-led tracks, and others on which the duo feature equally.

It's a winning clash of styles, too, with his joyous piano work framing her folk and country leanings in a rock and roll setting. Elton, 78, has been a mentor to Washington state-born Carlile, 43, since the duo first met 20 years ago — but that friendship didn't stop tensions from arising as the album was being made. Elton has admitted to being angry and irritable, screaming at Brandi and producer Andrew Watt, ripping up lyric sheets, and storming out of the studio.

Despite the tantrums — or maybe even because of them — the songs are powerful and emotional, with John and Carlile backed by a floor-shaking band that includes Red Hot Chilli Peppers drummer Chad Smith, bassist Pino Palladino and keyboardist Josh Klinghoffer. Producer Watt, who helmed The Rolling Stones' 2023 comeback album Hackney Diamonds, adds some lively guitar. The album opens with three rollicking pop songs.

The Rose Of Laura Nyro is a seven-minute homage to the late New York singer, with Bernie Taupin's original lyrics adapted by Brandi, and the song's progressive-rock synths an echo of Elton's 1973 medley Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding. The new primetime concert special features live performances, captivating stories about the pair’s careers and their enduring friendship, plus an intimate look at their new collaborative album The duo performed songs from their upcoming new album and played a selection of their individual greatest hits as well as duetting on some iconic tracks Another of Elton's early influences is then acknowledged in the honky-tonk rock and roll of Little Richard's Bible. The tub-thumping tempo continues into Swing For The Fences.

Brandi, like Elton, is in a same-sex marriage (she lives with her English wife Catherine Shepherd and their two daughters), and she uses the swinging country tune to offer encouragement to gay men and women thinking of starting families. 'Take a shot at the moon,' she urges. Parenthood looms large again in the hushed, acoustic You Without Me, a Brandi-led ballad (with Elton on electric piano) about watching her girls grow up.

'You can listen to your own records now, decide what you believe,' she sings, harmonising beautifully with her own multi-tracked vocals. Elsewhere, Elton addresses his mortality..

. by staring it down like the indefatigable trouper he is. 'There's a last time for everything,' he sings on Never Too Late, a song about his long-term songwriting partnership with Taupin (with lyrics by Brandi), and a ballad that would have sat comfortably on 1973's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

Elton and Brandi also invited the audience to a sit-down conversation on stage, hosted by Dan Levy Throughout the evening, those closest to Elton and Brandi payed emotional tributes to the artists’ illustrious careers He warms further to the subject of mortality on the closing track, When This Old World Is Done With Me, addressing his past troubles (the 'complicated mornings' and 'taming of the demons') before vowing to go out 'like an ocean wave' when the time finally arrives. But not just yet. Thoughts of retirement now seem even more distant, with Elton describing this comeback as 'a new start' and a doorway to the future.

In truth, it's more like a continuation — one that builds on his legacy with the help of a dazzling new co-star. Will Smith: Based On A True Story (Slang) Verdict: Surprisingly introspective Rating: On his first studio album in 20 years, Will Smith wastes little time in addressing the elephant in the room: the infamous incident at the 2022 Oscars ceremony in which he slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage after the latter cracked a joke about the actor and rapper's wife Jada Pinkett Smith, who lives with alopecia. Will Smith apologised, but he's since faced a significant backlash.

'Will Smith is cancelled,' we are told, seconds into Based On A True Story's opening track, Int. Barbershop Day. Helped by his original sidekick, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Texan comedienne B.

Simone, the Philadelphia-born hip-hop star goes on to list his other alleged shortcomings, which include being a nice-guy rapper derided by his peers because he 'don't curse'. It's a witty, self-deprecating start to an autobiographical release that sees Smith, 56, engage in soul-searching while throwing down the gauntlet to his detractors. He raps about learning from his mistakes and finding strength in adversity.

The cover art for Will Smith's new album Based On A True Story which was released in March Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during The Oscar's awards ceremony in Hollywood on March 27, 2022 Will Smith commented on his and Jada Pinkett Smith's relationship in his new album - the pair are separated but remain married On You Lookin' For Me?, he also touches on his relationship with Pinkett Smith (the couple are separated, but aren't divorcing)...

'Mind your business, it's complicated,' he raps. Fans hoping for a return to the breezy swagger of his 1997 solo debut, Big Willie Style, will be disappointed. That album, littered with feel-good singles like Men In Black, Miami and Gettin' Jiggy Wit It, was based around a series of upbeat 1970s disco and 1980s funk samples.

The beats here are stodgier, the mood more introspective. He still lightens up occasionally. There are engaging Latin twists on Make It Look Easy and the flamenco-based First Love.

Hard Times (Smile), a duet with R&B singer Teyana Taylor, is illuminated by an inspired Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band sample. But given that this album is merely the opening salvo of a planned trilogy, there's still scope for him to rediscover his old sparkle.

Will Smith starts a tour at Scarborough Open Air Theatre on August 24 (ticketmaster.co.uk).

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