Shine On Through/Return To Paradise/I Don't Care/Big Dipper/It Ain't Gonna Be Easy/Part Time Love/Georgia/Shooting Star/Madness/Reverie/Song For Guy
With the release of A Single Man there was further confirmation that Elton John’s songwriting had become uneven compared with that of his classic period of a few years earlier. However, the hit single Part Time Love still maintained his high standard. (US:15 UK:8)
“Elton John had split with long time lyricist Bernie Taupin and A Single Man marked the beginning of a new phase in his career. While he would continue to be a top live attraction, but his new albums wouldn’t sell as well as those released during his classic period. Nor would they be as artistically strong. This is but one in a series of ’70s and ’80s albums that contained a few good songs and a lot of average ones. New lyricist Gary Osborne, while competent, was not of the calibre of Taupin.”
“Song For Guy is powerfully affecting closer. Due to its meditative melody and unstoppable chord progression, the mood is positively ethereal. But apart from one murmured lyric toward the end it's not really a song, so minus marks for that.”
“This is pretty forgettable, mostly because Elton's dropped the eclectic pop that made him famous, embracing a kind of light pop-soul instead. It works on Part-Time Love, but the rest is fairly average.”
“The main problem here is the songs themselves - while Elton touches nicely on several styles (southern in Georgia, mid-tempo 70s rock in It Ain't Gonna Be Easy) most of the tunes are good but certainly not great. Nothing here is up to par with what Elton so often achieved previously.”
“The production is poor, the lyrics feeble, and the entire effort uninspired. I have never understood the fascination with Song For Guy; it is a tediously repetitive jingle that makes me cringe.”
“Here Elton experiments with various musical styles, ranging from the jazz-laden Big Dipper to the countrified Georgia. There's also straight-ahead rock featured in I Don't Care and Part Time Love. The pyrotechnical, yet powerful Madness breathes more life, while the melancholic It Ain't Gonna Be Easy tends to bring the album down just a bit. The lovely piano encompassed instrumental Song For Guy provides both a sentimental and rousing finish to a stellar, finely crafted album.”
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