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May 03, 2018 Web Exclusive By Frank Valish

The other of two recent compilations of Elton John cover songs, Restoration, finds John and Taupin’s compositions played by country artists both old and new. Elton John has always has a country streak to his songs, and most of the choices on this compilation fit this repurposing like a hand in glove.

Little Big Town’s “Rocket Man” is awash in harmony, and sounds from the radio instrument of NASA’s Mission Juno are incorporated into the song. This is more successful in theory than in practice, where the faraway sounding voices heard beneath the harmonies may have you turning off the music to find where that sound is coming from before realizing it’s part of the song. Don Henley and Vince Gill are perfect together on the singer/songwriter-y “Sacrifice,” and Miranda Lambert’s twangy vocals fit “My Father’s Gun” nicely. Lee Ann Womack’s soulful vocals and the fiery slide guitar wonderfully augment “Honkey Cat,” and Rhonda Vincent and Dolly Parton’s fiddle- and banjo-led “Please,” which originally graced John’s 1995 Made in England album, is rendered here a revelation compared to John’s original.

Elsewhere, things aren’t as interesting. Maren Morris doesn’t do anything new with “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,” and Brothers Osbourne’s take on the funky “Take Me To the Pilot” adds little to the classic. And Miley Cyrus, the only artist to contribute to both of the recent covers albums, lends her pop stylings to “The Bitch Is Back,” a song whose only nod to country is a lone (and out of place) banjo.

Finally, in stunning fashion, the album ends with Willie Nelson’s version of “Border Song,” recasting the original as only Willie can and making the song completely his own, bringing things full circle and putting a cap on an album that ultimately shows how well John’s songs can cross over to a more country context. (www.eltonjohn.com)

Author rating: 6/10