Review of North
NY Post, 2003-09-23

 

ELVIS COSTELLO

"North"

ïï

Deutsche Grammophon

"North," the latest from Elvis Costello, is a musically pretty disc that's also pretty boring as it tells a boy-loses-girl, boy-finds-himself-and-rediscovers-love story.

Inspired by loss and propelled by mopey, moody music, "North" heads South because all of the songs sound alike. Die-hards will take umbrage and cite the subtleties within individual tunes, but after several spins it seems as if he's lost his pop compass and drifted into the land of background music.

Be warned: This is a quiet strings 'n' things record that's closer to easy listening than rock 'n' roll.