The two years Elvis Costello took off from recording were obviously put to good use. The singer-songwriter — making his debut on the Warner Bros. label — is back with the most ambitious record of his career — and one of his best.
The lyrics are vintage Costello — alternately intelligent and weird, tender and tough, soothing and stinging. And the music is impeccably and imaginatively orchestrated.
Working without his backup group, The Attractions, Costello summons an outstanding musical lineup, including Paul McCartney, Roger McGuinn, T Bone Burnett, Benmont Tench, Allen Toussaint, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and then uses the musicians creatively.
On the lead-off track, "...This Town...," it's McGuinn on a Rickenbacker 12-string, while McCartney lends his support on a Rickenbacker bass. It is Toussaint's jazzlike piano play that distinguishes "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror." And "Satellite" owes its delicacy to the gentle mix of Tench's keyboard play and Costello's electric guitar. The song also features the rich vocal harmonies of Chrissie Hynde and Costello.
It is Costello's use of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, however, that makes this collection unique. The blend of saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and sousaphones adds another dimension to a pop tune like "Miss Macbeth."
Throughout the collection, Costello also incorporates such traditional instruments as fiddles, uileann pipes, and bodhrans, and these add texture to his finely woven tunes.
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