in the latest publicity wave, they keep describing elton john as a great soul singer. leon russell seems to think so. here's what i want to know: "goodbye yellow brick road" or "daniel": do you think the singing or the overall style of melody or arrangement or lyrics is more like sam cooke or otis redding? who's the more intense soul shouter, who's really got the gravel, ej or wilson pickett? whose music is more connected to the american black gospel tradition, ej or solomon burke? it's not that the answers reflect badly (well, extremely badly) on elton; it's that you've completely got him in the wrong world. go back and start again. otherwise you're not going to be able to defend his importance or excellence. now there may be no world on which elton john's body of work is defensible. but if there is, it ain't the world of soul.