It’s been impossible to escape Brandi Carlile and Elton John. Not that anyone’s complaining. The Maple Valley folk rocker and her longtime hero-pal have been all over the place in the past week, hitting the major network morning and late-night talk shows promoting their joint new album,

A good year and a half ago, Elton John, 78, gave the last concert of his farewell tour. But even then, he said it would not be a farewell to music and held out the prospect of individual concerts. Now he is back with a new album.