Review of When I Was Cruel
Boston Herald, 2002-04-26
- Larry Katz

 

Costello as `Cruel' as ever

Discs
Friday, April 26, 2002

ELVIS COSTELLO

``When I Was Cruel'' (Island)
3/4 stars

The feisty old Elvis is back. On ``When I Was Cruel'' - perhaps a reference to the obnoxious Costello of his early years - Elvis reunites with two-thirds of the Attractions, keyboardist Steve Nieve and drummer Pete Thomas, while adding bassist Davey Faragher. They sound great as they mesh the careening wildness of Elvis' past with the compressed kookiness of his more recent pop work.

The best songs, including ``45'' and ``Alibi,'' match music with somewhat comprehensible lyrics. But Elvis too often seems more enamored of the sound of words than their sense. So enjoy the clever wordplay and leave it at that.

One question, please. Now that Elvis' older albums are being re-released with second discs of outtakes and such, can we expect a double dose of ``When I Was Cruel'' in 2012?

LARRY KATZ