2002 Blue featuring Elton John: Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word

Originally an Elton John single from 1976, his piano led, minor key ballad of confusion and self doubt is given an off the shelf makeover of full flavour grandeur with a shuffling last dance beat while the boys from Blue eschew any attempt at re-interpretation and instead take turns to intone the lyrics with a solemn gravity that borders on the Biblical (that cover shot could easily grace an album of sacred music)and pours concrete over the fragility of the original to create an edifice that's as functional as a multi storey car park, but just blandly ugly. In other words, all very predictable, with the only real surprise being Elton himself lending his piano to it and chipping in with his own eyes squeezed tight angst. I'd like to think he's playing along rather than honestly thinking all this is any improvement to his own song, but if he does, he's wrong - this 'Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word' is not needed and ultimately disposable, an end product headed not to the landfill but as clog up on the charity shops shelves put up in place of the boxes that used to house faded vinyl copies of James Last, Mantovani and Paul Young's 'No Parlez'.