11. I'm Still Standing (Elton John - Live In Paris: 1/23/2005) скачать в хорошем качестве

11. I'm Still Standing (Elton John - Live In Paris: 1/23/2005)

In dedication to “BlueFlame” and “Anthony” from my Discord server, uploading Elton John’s Paris show from January of 2005 is my next course of action. Not only are both of these aforementioned gentlemen big fans of Elton’s post-surgery eras, but “BlueFlame” has been writing me letters - begging me to upload this! So… I guess I’ll do so! This recording is in decent quality and is mostly complete (with handful of cuts between some songs). Taking place in an intimate setting (a French opera house), this solo show from 2005 features Elton in an inspired and driven state of mind as he gives mainly strong performances with the solo environment greatly adding to the emotion and passion of the over 2 hour concert. There are many excellent piano moments that are evident through the improvisational and instrumental sections of songs and the stripped-down nature of the show not only highlights the piano prowess better, but it also allows Elton’s voice to shine better. Elton’s voice is in strong form with his middle ranges especially being excellent as he channels a ton of soul and grit into his vocal deliveries. Now… time to go through everything… “Your Song” combines some really nice variations to the vocal melodies along with Elton providing a strong baritonal vocal foundation. “The Greatest Discovery” highlights Elton’s aged baritone that still possessed a sizable amount of vocal resonance throughout his range. While the smoothness of the 90s performances wasn’t as prevalent, Elton still had enough softer tone remaining to give the song some added tenderness to it. “Border Song” contains a nice amount of gritty and soulful approaches to the vocal lines and the outroduction vocals are especially strong. “The One” features Elton showcasing some really nice vocal power while adding some softer dynamics throughout which gives his aging voice a very interesting edge. “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” has some very robust mid-ranged singing put on display and while Elton’s voice has a harder and less flexible approach to the general phrasing compared to earlier in the decade, he still has enough remaining ability to give justice to the lyrics. “Ballad Of The Boy In The Red Shoes” is a wonderful performance with Elton giving the song additional emotion and passion which is helped greatly in the solo environment. “Honky Cat” contains a unique take on the piano introduction and while Elton avoids falsetto notes and some notes aren’t sung cleanly, he still gives a strong vocal effort with an enthusiastic edge to the piano playing being easily heard. “Daniel” contains mostly smooth singing with Elton’s aged baritonal vocal tone still sounding quite nice on the song. “My Elusive Drug” is full of extremely powerful and inspired vocals that come through in a way that isn’t heard on the record version with Elton giving a fantastic performance. “Rocket Man” features some great playing and musical ideas during the improvisational section and Elton surprisingly goes for C5s during the vocal outroduction. “I’m Still Standing” is an extremely spirited and unique take on the song with Elton playing around with the vocal melodies and providing a ton of twists and turns to the performance. Concluding this section, “Tiny Dancer” provides a good balance of power, clarity, and use of dynamics with Elton’s then-current voice. “Sacrifice” contains some surprisingly flexible vocal phrasing and Elton’s middle range is full of resonant power that works extremely well during an intimate solo show like this. “Philadelphia Freedom” highlights Elton’s vocal creativity during the mid-2000s as he shows no fear in taking the song in new directions with different approaches to the vocal melodies. “Turn The Lights Out When You Leave” is a really nice performance with Elton showing off more strong vocals. “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” features some nice soulful phrasing along with tastefully sung flourishes. “Candle In The Wind” is sung pretty well with good tone being displayed throughout Elton’s lower and middle ranges. “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” showcases Elton’s enthusiasm on stage as he throws his voice around and has no fear in showing off vocal acrobatics. “Carla/Etude” sounds nice in the intimate environment. “Tonight” mixes choppy/staccato phrasing with some smoother sections. While Elton still sings with a good amount of power, the upper notes aren’t as easily produced as earlier in the decade. “Take Me To The Pilot” is an amazing performance with a ton of bluesy piano playing being put on display in the introduction and the vocals being delivered extremely well. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” has a really rough vocal moment early on, but is otherwise pretty solidly sung with good sustains. Lastly, “Circle Of Life” is sung passionately and despite a couple vocal mishaps along with a piano blunder, the performance is still pretty strong and ends the show on a high note! ENJOY!!!