Fans of the former Reg Dwight have been waiting expectantly for this album, which has been languishing on his record company shelves since it was recorded in Atlanta back in March. They will no doubt be delighted with the result, which follows similar US-oriented themes - via a series of mellow ballads and [barely] uptempo tracks - to his last long-player, 2001's Songs From The West Coast. Reunited with long-time co-writer Bernie Taupin, for decades a resident of the US of A, the album blends John's trademark piano playing and lamenting country-esque melodies, but it doesn't exactly stretch his talents. But then again, why should it? He's been moving into MOR territory for some time and Peachtree Road, staggeringly his 43rd studio album, simply confirms this direction. The songs are easy-going, some might say to the point of inducing a coma, yet with their slick production and slow pace they are spot on for mainstream US radio and a loyal fan-base both in the US and elsewhere will lap it up. The standout track on the record is the opener, Weight Of The World, whose style harks back to his work on the classic Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, while the first UK single, All That I'm Allowed, sounds rather like something a dodgy boyband would foist on an unsuspecting - nay, innocent - public. They Call Her The Cat is what one might describe as an upbeat funky rock track, and is as lively as this album this gets. Perhaps the former chairman of Watford FC finds he can only get excitable these days when surrounded by unforgiving photographers at airports.

Released : 8th November 2004
Label: Mercury

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