The Big Picture (1997)

It was easily one of the most touching moments in recent musical memory — Elton John pouring his broken heart into a gorgeously rewritten ''Candle in the Wind'' at Princess Diana's funeral. Sad to say, that profound inspiration doesn't carry over to his latest, which — unlike The Big Picture's predecessor, Made in England — plods through painfully flowered ballads until all color and fragrance are lost. Only a couple of cuts bloom anywhere close to ''Candle.'' Maybe Elton, grief lifted, will find that happiness next time around. C