Elton Walks “Peachtree Road”
Elton John‘s announcement to an audience in the fall of 2001 that his Songs From the West Coast would be a swan song has proven false. Admittedly, John said weeks later on a radio show that he was “just having a bad day,” and he has proven good for at least one more record. Peachtree Road, John’s twenty-eighth studio set, will be released in November.
The album’s title reflects the locale where the set was recorded, in Atlanta, Georgia, where John has a home. According to John’s Web site, “Freaks in Love” and “Turn the Lights Out When You Leave” are among the songs tipped for inclusion. John recently previewed Peachtree Road for his label and management team in London.
Peachtree follows one of John’s most successful albums in years. West Coast earned platinum certification behind a pair of hit singles, “I Wan’t Love” and “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore.”
In other Elton news, John has lined up a five-night stand at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall, where he will perform backed by a full symphony orchestra for the first time in the U.S. John, his band and the orchestra (conducted by James Newton Howard) will be joined by a choir consisting of students from London’s Royal Academy of Music and New York’s the Juilliard School. Proceeds from the first show, July 13th, will go towards the Elton John Musical Scholarship at the Royal Academy as well as a scholarship fund at Juilliard.
John himself was a scholarship student at the former. “The solid classical training was key to my success,” he said. “I’m thrilled to perform orchestral versions of my songs with these wonderful, talented young musicians.” Shows are also planned for July 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th. Film crews plan to shoot the concerts for a television special to air on Bravo later this year.