Elton John & Charlie Puth, After All

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Iconic pop/rock musician Elton John taps Grammy-nominated pop musician/producer Charlie Puth for the assist on “After All.”

he legendary Elton John returns with his 32^nd studio album,

The Lockdown Sessions. That’s exciting! After stunning on his duet with Dua Lipa ( “Cold Heart – PNAU Remix”), John collaborates with Charlie Puth on the second single, “After All”. Hmm, interesting! Honestly, the collaboration on “After All” wasn’t one I personally envisioned based on style/voice. After listening, am I eating my words?

This three-and-a-half-minute song was written by Puth, John, and Jacob Kasher Hindlin – no Bernie Taupin! Furthermore, Puth produces the record. To be fair, Puth has composed and produced some fine records in the past. “After All” is bright and energetic – a selling point. As far as the sound, it’s intriguing – somewhere between the 70s/80s and modern pop/rock… I think. Charlie initiates things, performing the first verse and chorus. He sings respectably, though I as I’m listening, I feel myself desiring a bit more oomph. Elton John arrives on the second verse (with modern vocal trickery) and likewise, performs the following chorus. Puth returns for the bridge, which kicks things up a notch, setting up the proper duet on the final chorus. By the final chorus, the energy has soared, as have the vocals. Naturally, Puth has a higher upper range, and does the ‘heavy lifting’ you might say. If nothing else, the chorus hits:

“Oh, oh, nothing compares to you
Oh no, baby
They were just doin’ it wrong
I gave up on love until you made me believe in it after all
After all, oh, ah.”

Final Thoughts

Bitmoji Image So, does this unlikely collaboration work? Eh, it’s okay at best. After listening a couple of times, I appreciate what Elton John and Charlie Puth were going. That said, do I think they quite achieve the glory as a team? No, not quite. Nonetheless, as mentioned earlier, I’m excited to hear The Lockdown Sessions and maybe, just maybe “After All” grows on me.