Columbus Dispatch, August 1, 2005

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Duo special despite conflicting voices


Curtis Schieber

Elvis Costello and the Imposters ended the first segment of a nearly three-hour concert Saturday night in PromoWest Pavilion with "Waiting For The End Of The World," a song Costello wrote in London's subway in 1976 for his famed punk-rock debut album.

Then he introduced country singer Emmylou Harris for "Stranger in the House," a flat-out honky-tonk song. Costello confessed he wrote the song in 1977, when "performing country music was verboten" and his manager would hide the George Jones cassettes when journalists were around.

Though "Stranger" and the more than a dozen country songs played Saturday were no surprise to Costello fans, enlisting Harris as his co-conspirator for the program summarized his love of the music.

A songwriter known for his clever wordplay and poetic cadence, Costello offered the Louvin Brothers' "My Baby's Gone" and the all-time great first line, "Hold back the rushing minutes, make the wind lie still," as evidence of the music's value.

Partnering with Harris also allowed Costello to emulate Gram Parsons, the deceased hero of alternative country and Harris' mentor and frequent singing partner.

But many of the reprised Parsons/Harris duets were flawed. Parsons and Harris' voices were uncommonly matched, both of them as beautiful and brittle as a dried wood carving. But Costello's phrasing and the warmth of his tone is a more difficult partner for the arid emotion of Harris' voice.

The closest the two came to the Parsons-Harris magic was in the encore with "Wild Horses," a Rolling Stones song inspired by Parsons. They were furthest away on "Love Hurts," a ballad best defined by the Everly Brothers and Parsons-Harris.

Larry Campbell, borrowed from Bob Dylan's band, sweetened all, though, with steel guitar and mandolin.

The program testified to the variety of styles Costello has tapped, his still-brilliant songwriting and a couple of themes that have run through much of his work. Displacement was key in "American Without Tears," one of the evening's highs, reflecting Costello's English/Irish heritage. "Monkey To Man" and "45" were two of several songs that displayed the singer's rock 'n' roll abilities. "Mystery Dance" and "Pump It Up" were tributes to Costello's punk days and were plenty raucous. "The Scarlet Tide," an Oscar-nominated song co-written with T Bone Burnett for Cold Mountain, displayed Costello's politics with the newly written line, "Admit you lied / bring the boys home."

Still the evening was special because of Harris' presence and the duo's delivery of mostly tragic songs. Her lovely delivery of "Red Dirt Girl" under a balmy summer sky was as good as it gets, even though the song is full of pain. Or, as she said after "Sin City": "Nothing like an apocalyptic waltz on a Saturday night.


Tags: Promowest PavilionColumbusOhioThe ImpostersEmmylou HarrisLarry CampbellWaiting For The End Of The WorldStranger In The HouseGeorge JonesThe Louvin BrothersMy Baby's GoneGram ParsonsWild HorsesThe Rolling StonesLove HurtsThe Everly BrothersBob DylanAmerican Without TearsMonkey To Man45Mystery DancePump It UpThe Scarlet TideT Bone BurnettCold Mountain: Music From The Miramax Motion PictureRed Dirt GirlSin City

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Columbus Dispatch, August 1, 2005


Curtis Schieber reviews Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Emmylou Harris and Larry Campbell, Saturday, July 30, 2005, Promowest Pavilion, Columbus, Ohio.


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