The latest album from Elton John and Brandi Carlile is finally here. For Elton John, this marks the 33rd studio album from the Lion King's savior, while the collaboration marks Brandi Carlile's eighth studio album. Both have been two prevalent acts in the rock space, Carlile being more of a modern sensation while John has enjoyed a career as a legacy act.

The union of Brandi Carlile and Elton John sounds like a match made in Heaven. There was always eager anticipation, as well as curiosity from fans wondering what Elton John's next album would sound like, but the caveat that he's forming a tag team with Carlile for the project only added excitement to something that everyone was looking forward to. The combination of John and Carlile does not disappoint, and the best way to illustrate the depths of the album is to rank its songs from worst to best.

10 A Little Light

Track #8

This is a song where it feels like Elton John enters the more country-centric world of Brandi Carlile. It’s an understandable experiment to embark on, but even compared to Carlile’s usual tracks, it leans more toward traditional country rather than the folk infusion. While traditional country has its appeal, it’s not the sound that suits Carlile’s tastes the best. As a result, John doesn’t feel as powerful as he typically does.

No one will argue against the chemistry shared by John and Carlile, but this record just isn’t as smooth as butter as other tracks on this album. Without Carlile’s signature sound, it makes the record at the forefront feel more generic than it should, and that doesn’t do either Carlile or John any favors when it comes to the finished product.

9 Someone to Belong To

Track #9

This song immediately follows up the previously mentioned track. In doing so, if the two had to be directly compared, “Someone to Belong To" at least sounds lyrically better than “A Little Light.” The lyrics alone are able to resonate with a listener on an emotional level and, on a lyrical level, it might be among the best written songs on the album. Unfortunately, a great song isn’t just composed of great writing, but the total package of writing, performing, and instrumentation.

Throughout the album, lyrics are provided by Brandi Carlile and Elton John, as well as Bernie Taupin and producer Andrew Watt.

When it comes to the lead performances of Elton John and Brandi Carlile, as well as the instruments on display, this song doesn’t pack as much of a punch as other songs on the album. It’s hard to decipher why it doesn’t resonate the same. Perhaps it’s a song that will grow on the listener the more it's listened to, but on a first listen, it just doesn't deliver in cohesion with the rest of the project.

8 Never Too Late

Track #4

After three bombastic tracks to start the album, the fourth track slows things down for a slower, more folk-driven duet. Because the album slows down so drastically and so suddenly, the transition almost feels like a whiplash that takes time to get adjusted to. Once the listener adjusts, though, the thunderous voices of both artists boom through “Never Too Late” in captivating fashion.

It’s hard to deny how much of a winning combination Brandi Carlile and Elton John make together. Even when the change of pace forces the listener to accept a slower tone set for the album at a point when they want to keep grooving, John and Carlile quickly wins listeners over. It becomes a welcome change of pace because, in any form, the listener will welcome Carlile and John.

7 Little Richard’s Bible

Track #2

True to the name of the record, “Little Richard’s Bible” evokes the aura of one of rock’s greatest musicians. It’s rock from a much different era from what the mainstream of today is accustomed to, but it’s an era that Elton John quite literally lived through. As a result, his voice comes off so naturally. However, Carlile being on the younger side, may have been the reason why she’s mostly cast to the background for this song.

Listeners hardly hear her voice, which is disappointing for anyone who truly wanted each song to feel like a collaboration between the two Grammy winners. “Little Richard’s Blues” is still a fun song, but it’s more of an Elton John song than a collab song with Brandi Carlile. But again, still a song worth praising.

6 Swing for the Fences

Track #3

“Swing for the Fences” puts Brandi Carlile in a lane that caters to her strengths as an artist. It’s a familiar tune that carries the folk and country sensibilities that have turned her into a household name, but with a lively twang that only Elton John could bring to the table. John’s backup vocals don’t overshadow Carlile, giving her ample time to shine whilst still making his presence known through his own special touch.

One brings out the strengths of the other while mixing their own flavor to offer a unique sound that could only arrive through this meeting of the minds.

This is exactly the benefit of producing a collaborative effort between these two entities. One brings out the strengths of the other while mixing their own flavor to offer a unique sound that could only arrive through this meeting of the minds. John finds a way to elevate the sound of Carlile while putting his spin on that sound in the same record.

5 You Without Me

Track #5

There are only two tracks on the album that don’t feature both artists on the record together. One of them is “You Without Me,” where Brandi Carlile takes the stage solo. Some will argue that it's disappointing to not hear both artists actually collab in equal symphony on a track for their collab album, but even in such a scenario, a counter-argument can be made that, love it or hate it, “You Without Me” is by no means a bad song.

An argument can even be made for it being one of the better songs on the album, even without John’s assistance. Perhaps it could’ve been saved for a solo album of Carlile’s, but she pours so much emotion into the song that it’s hard not to ire it on some level.

4 The River Man

Track #7

“The River Man” makes for a fun bait and switch, for lack of a better phrase. For the first 45 seconds of the track, it appears that the listener is in for another slow jam, which may be initially disappointing for anyone who was hoping to continue the high energy perpetrated by the previous track - until the 46th second starts to subvert expectations. Suddenly, the ballad soars with a triumphant victory lap.

As it turns out, the first few seconds of the song builds anticipation for something much bigger than what the opening beats originally imply for the record much like the first track does. Once the song starts marching to a beat of a different drum, it feels like a song that would play over a white hat cowboy giving chase on a steady steed in a western. The song just screams victory, charging the listener up to the point of being motivational.

3 The Rose of Laura Nyro

Track #1

As an introduction, “The Rose of Laura Nyro” aptly builds anticipation for the project to come by producing an epic symphony of guitar strings. The word “epic” can be overused in the music space, but when the first two minutes and five seconds are completely vocalless, strictly instrumental, the epicness comes from the song feeling like a must-see event. When the vocals do kick in, Carlile and John co-exist in perfect harmony with each other.

It feels like John is tapping into the spirit that made records like “I’m Still Standing” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” burst with energy, while Carlile taps into an energy she rarely taps herself. The slow build to an intense instrumentation, leading to the inevitable synchronization of John and Carlile’s voices, gives the impression that the listener is about to hear something special.

2 Who Believes in Angels

Track #6

For any album, a title track sharing the same name as the project it’s listed on is a sign that the song in question is set to be the most important song on the album. In this case, it definitely feels like a significant turning point in the album, but more than just being an important song, it might also be the best song on the album. It’s one of the few songs on the track list that lives up to the same level of the aforementioned epic quality established in the introduction track.

In addition to vocals, both Elton John provide instrumentation to the project; John provides piano while Carlile is on guitar. Other instruments (i.e. drums, bass, saxophone, trumpet, etc.) are played by John Klinghoffer, Andrew Watt, Chad Smith, Pino Palladino, James King, and Ron Blake.

Brandi Carlile and Elton John match each other’s energy, performance-wise, while the instrumentation plays out like a third performer, soldiering them to something special. It’s a truly tremendous song by Elton John and Brandi Carlile that warrants replay value.

1 When This Old World is Done With Me

Track #10

It's ironic to think that two of the best songs on the collab album are songs where each party flies solo. Out of the two solo records, Elton John's "When This Old World is Done With Me" is the better song. It's rightfully the last song on the album, and as such, it's where the album peaks. What makes "When This Old World is Done With Me" so spectacular as the better solo record on the project and potentially the album's best song is that it reads as such a somber swan song for Elton John and his career.

It's not him necessarily closing the door on his career, but being realistic to the fact that his time on Earth is running out the older he gets. It's a sobering thought, but an emotionally resonate one that ends Elton John and Brandi Carlile's album in such a powerful way that it sticks with the listener long after the album is over.