Elton John has officially released his new album, The Lockdown Sessions, featuring some very special artists. The record is a collaboration that John has made over the past 18 months. Artists featured on the album include Dua Lipa, Stevie Nicks, Rina Sawayama, Jimmie Allen, Glen Campbell, and Brandi Carlile to name a few. Some of the songs include Allen's "Beauty in the Bones" which he co-wrote with Phil Bentley, Bruce Roberts, and Taylor Bird.
Meanwhile, Carlile appears on a new song called "Simple Things." The late Campbell, who died in 2017, appears on the song called "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," which was the last song Campbell recorded as a solo artist before his passing.
Despite the studio album coming out, John revealed that he actually wasn't planning on releasing anything soon. Through an Instagram post, he stated, "The last thing I expected to do during lockdown was make an album. But, as the pandemic went on, one-off projects kept cropping up."
According to the singer, this album is a throwback to the time in his life when he was a session musician. Although he said the material that he was creating was out of his comfort zone, he describes the album as "interesting and diverse stuff that was completely different to anything I'm known for."
The "Rocketman" singer continued, "I realized there was something weirdly familiar about working like this at the start of my career, in the late '60s, I worked as a session musician. Working with different artists during lockdown reminded me of that. I'd come full circle: I was a session musician again. And it was a blast."
?The Lockdown Sessions? by @eltonofficial is out today!! I?m so proud to have gotten to sing with him on ?Simple Things?! I know I?ve got heroes cause that?s just the kinda girl I am?but no one has influenced me more ??https://t.co/6wyKVFMeOb pic.twitter.com/mLS0R6zUHz
— Brandi Carlile (@brandicarlile) October 22, 2021
Carlile took to Twitter to celebrate the release of the highly anticipated album, posting a photo of her and John embracing one another. She tweeted, 'The Lockdown Sessions' by @eltonofficial is out today!! I'm so proud to have gotten to sing with him on 'Simple Things'! I know I've got heroes cause that's just the kinda girl I am...but no one has influenced me more."
The duet features beautiful harmonies and a piano-driven melody that perfectly matches their voices together. John co-wrote "Simple Things" and was produced by Roman Campolo, Andrew Wotman, and Andrew Watt. Carlile's bandmates, Tim and Phil Hanseroth and Derek trucks play on the song as well.
The Lockdown Sessions Tracklist
- Elton John ft. Dua Lipa: "Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)"
- Elton John ft. Young Thug / Nicki Minaj: "Always Love You"
- Surfaces: "Learn to Fly" [ft. Elton John]
- Elton John ft. Charlie Puth: "After All"
- Rina Sawayama ft. Elton John: "Chosen Family"
- Gorillaz: "The Pink Phantom" [ft. Elton John & 6lack]
- Elton John ft. Years & Years: "It's a Sin (Global Reach Mix)"
- Miley Cyrus: "Nothing Else Matters" [ft. Watt, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo and Chad Smith]
- Elton John ft. SG Lewis: "Orbit"
- Elton John ft. Brandi Carlile: "Simple Things"
- Jimmie Allen ft. Elton John: "Beauty in the Bones"
- Lil Nas X: "One of Me" [ft. Elton John]
- Elton John ft. Eddie Vedder: "E-Ticket"
- Elton John ft. Stevie Wonder: "Finish Line"
- Elton John ft. Stevie Nicks: "Stolen Car"
- Glen Campbell ft. Elton John: "I'm Not Gonna Miss You"
Editors Note: This article was originally published on September 3,m 2021. It was updated on October 22, 2021, to announce the release of "The Lockdown Sessions."
