Elton John

Songs From The West Coast (2001)

1.The Emperors New Clothes
2.Dark Diamond
3.Look Ma No Hands
4.American Triangle
5.Original Sin
6.Birds
7.I Want Love
8.The Wasteland
9.Ballad of the Boy with the Red Shoes
10.Love Her Like Me
11.Mansfield
12.This Train Don't Stop There Anymore

Every few years, an artist surprises even their most faithful followers. For Elton John, Songs from the West Coast is that kind of surprise—a record that doesn't merely revisit past glories but reconnects with the very core of what made those glories possible. No heavy production tricks, no duets, no cinematic tie-ins. Just Elton, a piano, Bernie Taupin’s pen, and a set of songs that feel lived-in, human, and wholly unforced.

Much was made at the time about this being his "best since the ’70s," and depending on your reference point—Tumbleweed Connection, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road—the comparison holds. But more than a throwback, this is a recalibration. Elton had spent the previous tour performing solo, with just his piano, and that experience clearly informed the sound here: stripped down, unfussy, and focused.

The opener, The Emperor’s New Clothes, sets the tone. A subtle build from solo piano to full band, it carries the same gentle grandeur of his early '70s output, minus the theatricality. Davey Johnstone and Nigel Olsson are back in the fold, their harmonies lending nostalgic weight without tipping into sentimentality. The spirit of Dee Murray, who passed away in 1992, hangs quietly in the air, a reminder of the original trio that defined Elton’s early band sound.

Several tracks lean into that classic formula. The Ballad of the Boy in the Red Shoes, Look Ma, No Hands, and the poignant This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore echo the lyrical vulnerability of Madman Across the Water or even Blue Moves. They’re crafted not for radio play, but for resonance—music that breathes rather than performs.

That’s not to say the album lacks variety. Dark Diamond—featuring a guest spot from Stevie Wonder on harmonica—is the funkiest Elton had sounded since Too Low for Zero. Original Sin and The Wasteland delve into deeper, darker textures that recall his underappreciated late-’80s efforts. Birds, quirky and mysterious, grows with each listen, and Love Her Like Me brings an almost effortless charm.

The most recognizable track, I Want Love, led the album's release and quickly became a fan favorite. Its mid-tempo melancholy and Beatle-esque arrangement (one half-expects George Harrison and Jeff Lynne to drift in halfway through) give it a timeless quality. It’s a song that’s aged well—restrained, honest, and quietly devastating. If there’s a lull in the proceedings, it’s brief. No song truly disappoints, though a couple hover just shy of the emotional high watermark set by the others. Still, the cumulative effect is powerful.

It’s tempting to lament how radio missed the moment—how in another era this might have been a ten-million-seller. But Elton, clearly, wasn’t chasing charts anymore. Songs from the West Coast was made for those still listening—not for the hits, but for the heart behind them.

And what’s most comforting is this: after decades of peaks, valleys, detours, and returns, Elton John still has the ability to surprise us-simply by being himself—plain and true.

Go back to the main page
Go To The Next Review