The Rolling Stones released their new album ‘Hackney Diamonds’ on Friday, and it has received a glowing endorsement from none other than Elton John. The legendary singer-songwriter, who plays piano on two tracks of the album, took to social media to congratulate the band on their latest work.
"Congratulations Rolling Stones on a knockout of an album," Elton wrote. "It was an honor and a pleasure to play on 'Live by the Sword' and 'Get Close.' You guys rock!"
Elton's involvement in the album was revealed by Mick Jagger, who spoke about how Elton returned to his roots as a boogie-woogie piano player for the project. "Elton did what he did when he started off in the recording industry, which is being basically a piano player -- not a singer, not even a lead part, but playing boogie-woogie piano, which is what he did when he started off. That's when I met him," Jagger said in an audio clip.
Elton was invited to play on the album by its producer, Andrew Watt, who also worked with him on six songs of his 2021 album, The Lockdown Sessions. Watt praised Elton's contribution to Hackney Diamonds, saying that he brought "a lot of energy and soul" to the songs.
Hackney Diamonds features many other special guests, including the band's former bassist Bill Wyman, who reunited with Elton and the late Charlie Watts on "Live by the Sword." Other notable collaborators are Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Lady Gaga and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench.
The album is expected to debut at number-one in the UK, which would make it The Rolling Stones' 14th number-one album there. The Beatles hold the record with 15 number-one albums in the UK.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]