Duets

Editors’ Notes This set of mostly cover songs finds Elton John performing vocal duets with some of the biggest names in music—and the styles are wildly varied. It’s also telling how Elton’s voice blends invitingly with so many disparate artists. He and RuPaul get dance-pop buoyant on “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” while Little Richard brings the gospel on “The Power.” Elton’s all melancholy with broken-muffler-voiced Leonard Cohen on country classic “Born to Lose,” and the springy R&B-standard “I’m Your Puppet” (with Paul Young) has all the nuance of the original. The album’s filled with surprisingly intimate spins on classic cuts.