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Jesus and Elvis Costello: One's the beloved son of the God, the other a bastard child and snide martyr, whose role comprises a sad-comic routine of lamenting the world and poking fun at Dad's handiwork.
And like devout Christians, Elvis fans have heralded his second coming with the ecstatic, religious fervor of nuns in Medjugorje.
Yeah ... but ... it's not like he really went away. They say Christ dabbled in Buddhism during those lost years; likewise, Costello logged some time in his own apocrypha with The Brodsky Quartet, Burt Bacharach, Bill Frisell and many others. While this is all fine and good, fans of the man formerly known as Declan MacManus have been wondering where the rock has gone, pining for My Aim Is True. Journalists chime in by claiming that Costello hasn't released a truly rocking album since Blood & Chocolate or a great album since Spike.
Well, folks, Elvis is back on the mount with a couple apostles/ Attractions in tow (Steve Nieve on keyboards/piano and Pete Thomas on drums). His sermons have the wisdom of age, his delivery the passion of youth. Inspired by the highly evolved production wizardry of today's hip-hop and R&B, Elvis has brandished a well thought out, not overly polished slab of sophistication that ebbs and flows from high-energy guitar hooks to plodding rhythms.
The range here is almost too much. He samples an Italian '60s girl singer in "When I Was Cruel No. 2," does wicked things with synths in "Spooky Girlfriend" and conjures a late-'60s rock vibe with catchy guitar riffs and old-style keyboards in "Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)" and "Daddy Can I Turn This?" And if that weren't enough he graces us with a playful nod to Tom Waits in the horn-and-piano-inflected "Episode of Blonde."
Lyrically, he hasn't lost his touch. With an army of metaphors lined up in oblique formation, Costello aims his guns at love, life and society — and comes out fighting for women too. His satiric take on the whore/Madonna complex ("I want to paint you with glitter and dirt/ picture you with innocence and hurt") is typically bittersweet; sensitivity and self-deprecation peer through the sarcasm. Also still wonderfully present is Costello's charismatic, raspy ire, driven to full effect in the lame-excuse rant "Alibi" and its salient surrender, "If I've done something wrong there's no 'ifs and buts' / 'Cos I love you just as much as I hate your guts."
Vocally, he's at his best, ranging from his signature talky style to hushed tones, cathartic wails and emotional vibrattos. He shows off his full range in the opener "45" and belts out passionately like a bluesy madman in the song about his marriage, "15 Petals."
Yes, thank Heaven, "God's Comic" is back. With cleverness, sincerity and musical ingenuity, he gives us so much. Let's just hope we mere mortals can take it all in.
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