Its almost a shame it's followed up by Grimsby, a Pinky is one of his most understated ballad with it's sunny flamenco flavour, gospel harmonies and surging analog synthesizer, all dancing to his effortless pop rock grooves and high tenor melodies flowing with a country rock exuberance. It continues into the equally transcendent glassy keyboard and pianos of Song for a Guy to end on the type of ELO/Yes/Renaissance styel of prog rock beyond the realms if a little out of place on this disco and RnB album.Įlton John's Caribou album is one of his forgotten works form his 70s run, looking past the giant hits of the Bitch is Back and Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, we have an album of diverse material ranging from heavy guitars, acoustic textures, odd synth parts and more of Elton's melodic countrified vocals. Reverie is exactly the opposite as it puts you to sleep in a good way with it's spectral display of a sweet ARP synthesizer playing a note as it spirals and twirls like a lead instrument over some piano chords like a twilight ballet painting a magnificent landscape when its done. Madness is a striking synth pop hit with a Glam styled theatrical vocal and Moroder-esque programmed keyboard lines crisscrossing in the background like a pie crust. Shooting Star is a forerunner to all the 'nighttime in the city' songs of the 80s with a Sax wailing away in the background to mellow piano/keyboard textures. Georgia is another circular piano melody with a church organ sounding synth and a big belts and braces chorus, Elton likes his saloon ballads and gospel edge crooning about characters in fluid vocal melody that always seems to veer from a softened country rasp and then a terse but heavenly cats meow falsetto its a winning formula in the era of country rock and Soft Rock and Disco. Part Time Love is the 80s sounding, cheap synth sweeping pop hit with some cheesy backing vocals backed by cheesier keyboards but a spirited melody but is far from his best, easily forgettable when placed alongside his bets 70s work or even other tracks on this very album. While I Don't Care proves Elton can elevate cheap disco music with a exuberant melody, while the heavy downbeat It Ain't Gonna Be easy mixes Elton's towering vocals with keyboards and a sweeping string section, Shine on Through is another sparkling Elton piano song with some of his tender moments, while the Carribean steel drum meets Zapata horns meets flamenco guitar melange that is Return to Paradise is daring and expertly stitched together performance. A Single Man (1978) was Elton's first without lyricist Bernie Taupin and first with Osbourne of duo Vigrass and Osbourne who was a flavour of the month poised for his own success at the time, sadly never eventuated.