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While I liked Almost Blue, I've always felt a twinge of disappointment whenever I've played it. For me, Elvis is first and foremost a songwriter, and when he's doing someone else's songs, he's just not King. Fortunately, Imperial Bedroom places Elvis securely on the throne. On this latest LP, he seems to have more of a sense of his own style than ever before.
From the photos on the back sleeve to the lyric sheet inside, Imperial Bedroom offers a new image of Elvis: not peering over huge shades, or hiding his face in his hands, but staring right at you. He's letting us peek behind the scenes, with self-conscious lyrics exposing more than they conceal. A big change from the victim/paranoid Elvis of the past.
But Elvis hasn't sacrificed wit or irony for frankness. "Shabby Doll," "The Long Honeymoon," and "You Little Fool" are as much about the failures of love as anything on Armed Forces, but with a little more sympathy, and less vengeance. Now he's willing to admit to love's strong points, too: "You know I love you more than slightly, although I've never said it like this before," he confesses on "Human Hands," and he twice tacks "P.S. I love you" onto two other complaints.
The music behind these lyrics gets better, more subtle, more touching, with each listen. The lines pour over each other cleverly, as the melody wanders easily up and down Elvis' sometimes-awkward/ always-earnest vocals. Imperial Bedroom is so good, it's addictive. As flattering as comparisons with Cole Porter may be, this album offers itself with perfect confidence as "An original idea by Elvis Costello."
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