Overstated.

The Captain and the Kid

* Elton John * Interscope

Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin have come a long way since 1975, when Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy entered the U.S. charts at number 1. And those accomplishments rest heavily on this well-intentioned sequel, which reflects on the duo's adventures 30-odd years later. For all its strengths, the disc smacks of Disney films and Broadway musicals, polished and lavish where it needs to be lean and mean: When the full band and chorus kick in halfway through the opener, "Postcards From Richard Nixon," you can practically see the set revolving to reveal Main Street, USA. These 10 originals, rife with lyrical references to drug addiction and lovers lost, platform boots and movie stars, are uniformly swell: "Tinderbox" would fit right in on a Scissor Sisters record, while hand claps and piano trills keep "Old '67" from capsizing under the weight of nostalgia. But with his clipped diction and echo-drenched ivories, there's a sense that Sir Elton must always "do a number" when simply playing the damn songs would suffice. The tourists at Caesars Palace will swoon, no doubt, but fans weaned on John's '70s classics may find The Captain and the Kid a trifle overbaked.