Review of When I Was Cruel
North Shore News, 2002-05-06
- John Goodman

 

Elvis breaks radio silence

Elvis Costello - When I Was Cruel (Island)

Rating 8 out of 10.

After spending almost a decade away from the rock trenches Elvis Costello returns on a new label with the old fire.

When I Was Cruel opens with classic Costello wordplay on "45" and never lets up. His involvement outside rock music (Burt Bacharach, Anne Sofie von Otter) is evident in the production of some tracks while on others he sticks close to the bone with support from members of his old band the Attractions.

The title track is a seven-minute tour-de-force that uses a brief sample from Italian pop singer Mina for a brilliant rhythmic effect. It's like nothing else in Costello's catalogue but ends up sounding like a natural progression in the man's music.

Never content to settle for nostalgia, When I Was Cruel opens new doors for Costello the artist without rejecting his rock'n'roll past.

- John Goodman