Review of North
Maxim, 2003-09-23
- David Peisner

 

First he was cruel, then he went and got all Sting on our asses.

Elvis Costello, North
(Deutsche Grammophon )
Release Date: September 23, 2003

Reviewed by David Peisner

Just when you thought Costello had returned to the snarl of his youth with last year’s When I Was Cruel, he releases an orchestral pop record filled with strings, piano flourishes, and melancholy vocals. It’s not bad, but the syrupy tunes that fill up the second part of the album grate after a while. We liked him much better when he was cruel.