Review of When I Was Cruel
Age (EG), 2002-05-03
- Jeff Glorfeld

 

When I Was Cruel

Elvis Costello
(Island) ****

It's not like Elvis Costello has been taking it easy, what with the many collaborations and compilations he's released in recent times, but it's been seven years since the last Attractions album, the patchy All This Useless Beauty. The latest package has 15 new songs and features Costello on guitar, Steve Nieve on keyboards and Pete Thomas on drums, plus Davey Faragher on bass, and a horn section on several numbers. Costello's been reconvening the Attractions in one guise or another for 25 years, and this one is certainly justification for continuing the partnership. He's always been self-deprecating as a guitarist, but it's his axe work that drives the songs, to the point he features the distinctive sounds of classic instruments such as the Danelectro and Silvertone models. Opening song 45 is pure This Year's Model, full of that trademark vocal sneer, Tear Off Your Own Head is a tough little rocker, and the title track will find a place on the list of Costello classics.

Jeff Glorfeld