Review of When I Was Cruel
Maxim, 2002-05-01
- David Peisner

 

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"Oh Alison...what the hell happened to my hair?"

Elvis Costello

When I Was Cruel

<4/5 Stars>

Elvis Costello doesn't hate you - it just sounds that way. In the late '70s, he arrived as a whirlwind of seething contempt and horn-rimmed glasses; while the Clash were staging a white riot, Elvis was throwing a masterful tantrum. His detours in the '90s to work with codgers such as Burt Bacharach were interesting, but let's face it: Costello is best when Costello is pissed. And, man, is his pissed on his latest. "It was so much easier when I was cruel," he sneers on the atmospheric title track, as a wicked 007-style guitar line and an enchanting female voice do battle behind him. Recorded with two-thirds of his band, the Attractions, Cruel recalls cantankerous classics like This Year's Model and Armed Forces but updates them with spectral reggae grooves ("Soul For Hire," "Dust") and graceful horn arrangements ("15 Petals"). The playful "Spooky Girlfriend" and "45" keep Costello's pretty hate machine from overheating, bust as refrains like "Cos I love you just as much as I hate you guts: (from "Alibi") attest, it's still the bile that pays the bills. - David Peisner