Elton John

Jump Up is the album that redeems Elton John from his famine years as a fallen superstar
exiled to less verdant pastures. Showing more spunk than anyone might have expected at
this late date, he's put himself back on top simply by making a tour de force of a record
that says he knows he's worth it. Even if he never again comes close to inciting the mass
hysteria of the mid-Seventies, the sheer stylistic breadth of Jump Up should sec... More >

You say you don't care that it's his best album in seven years? I swear, you young people have no respect. This little guy was a giant, helped keep us sane back then, and though it's true he hasn't come up with a "Honky Cat" or "Bennie and the Jets" ("I Am Your Robot" might qualify if there were still AM radio), it's gratifying enough that after all these faithful years he's started to get good songs out of Gary Osborne (gunning for a Frank Sinatra cover on "Blue Eyes") as well as Bernie Taupin (who really shouldn't ever write about politics). (Grade: B)