Review of When I Was Cruel
People, 2002-04-__
- Kyle Smith

 

ALBUM OF THE WEEK

Elvis Costello (Island)
Reviewed by Kyle Smith
When I Was Cruel

Elvis Costello sounds like a man half his age. Determined to unlearn everything he knows about pop and classical, Costello has recycled the sonic angst of his 1978 classic This Year's Model and applied it to new songs such as the standout "45," about how records and years tend to pile up on you. It's fair to say that crash-bang, bassthumping tracks like "Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)" could not have been written by Burt Bacharach, Costello's recent songwriting buddy.

Costello plays his guitar like a teenager who wants to set off every neighborhood car alarm; the lyrics offer such pearls as "I love you just as much as I hate your guts." Who can resist a 47-year-old blowing spitballs at the world? Bottom Line: Pump it up