Review of North
The Onion AV Club, 2003-09-24
- Keith Phipps
Elvis Costello
North
(Deutsche Grammophon)
For at least a decade, Elvis Costello fans have been divided into
two camps: those who showed up for the straightforward rock and pop
albums, and those who followed him down every artistic side street he
chose to explore. A strong case can be made for both positions, but
both have their shortcomings. The unadventurous couldn't help but notice
Costello's waning interest in his classic sound, and they missed a fair
amount of impressive material. Teaming with Burt Bacharach for Painted
From Memory, for example, gave Costello one of the best albums of his
career, and even For The Stars, his odd-couple pairing with soprano
Anne Sofie VonOtter, demands a listen, if only for the inspired Paul
McCartney/Tom Waits medley. Then again, Costello has a frustrating tendency
to turn ideas that might be charming for a track or two into full-length
albums. Case in point: North, a collection of torchy songs composed
during the downtime from a recent tour. Costello's voice has long been
underrated, and North features some of his most technically impressive
singing, placing him front and center as a small ensemble plays behind
him. The approach resembles the one used on Painted From Memory, but
his songs sound so understated that they often border on the subliminal.
Bereft of melody and short on memorable lyrics (a Costello first), North
is background music in the least appealing sense: Brought to the fore,
it falls to pieces. Apart from a couple of bright spots that almost
redeem the proceedings—the striking "Someone Took The Words
Away" and the dreariness-dissolving "I'm In The Mood Again"—the
songs aspire to sound like standards, but mostly sound standard-issue.
—Keith Phipps