Elton John - Turn The Lights Out When You Leave (Mercury)

Elton John. Just like Rupert the bear, everyone knows his name. He is widely regarded as a pop genius whose songs are known by the old and young. Embraced by the masses he is held as the Godfather of great British pop. So what of his new single then?

Turn The Lights Out When You Leave sounds like the soundtrack to driving along a very straight, very dusty, and very tiresome road somewhere in the west of America. Sir Elton has tried to adopt and incorporate the 'western' sound into his music and has succeeded in so much as his new single sounds western, but failed in so much as it sounds shite. The issues are further compounded when Sir Elton attempts a seasoned western accent - Cringeworthy.

In its defence, Turn The Lights Out... is well structured, and has some nice string accompaniment. But these are minor, almost insignificant, pros, eclipsed by the mediocrity of the song and a myriad of cons. One cannot help but wonder quite what Sir Elton John was thinking - let's hope it's just a blip.