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| Hi-Fi News & Record Review
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Brutal attractions
Fred Dellar
Elvis Costello / Brutal Youth
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We have a special relationship, Elvis and I. Although his voice and my ears have rarely interrelated, I've always admired the way he constructs songs and, more often than not, houses them in settings which contribute an extra something. Which is why, despite that hang-up about his voice, I'll still admit to even tuning into the odd Elvis bootleg.
Brutal Youth, a classy example of the pop songwriter's art, extends that special relationship far into the foreseeable future. Thing is, no matter how sordid the subject ("Kinder Murder" is a graphic description of a rape), the music remains as important as the message throughout. "You Tripped At Every Step" is the perfect pop song, "Still Too Soon To Know" possesses a classic beauty, while "This Is Hell" contains a telling description of that other place where "It's by Julie Andrews and not by John Coltrane."
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Brutal Youth
Ken Kessler
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To love or to hate Costello? — that is the question. Do we forgive the man for working with the Brodskys? For forsaking the melody-heavy, achingly beautiful and/or vibrantly angry work with which his career began? And is Brutal Youth his apology for all of those ill-advised "experiments" between his separation from the Attractions and this reunion? Listen to this CD with no expectations and the surprise verdict will be: you've gotta love him because this album is a breath of deliciously stale air, circa '78 but with 1990s maturity.
EC came up with 15 highly individual tracks, two-thirds of which are worthy of his first three LPs, so there's variety a'plenty. It's nearly The Compleat Costello. His political numbers still have plenty of bite, his lyrics are still quirky and Costello remains the only songwriter to have built a bridge between punk and soul. Brutal youth? Maybe so, but it looks like Costello survived it.
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Clipping.
Brutal Youth
Johnny Black
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So Fred and Ken are more or less agreed, but what of the rest of the critical fraternity? Q gives four out of five stars and says "Costello's best pop album since 1982 ... it's reassuring and thrilling to hear that sound again."
It was album of the month for Vox, with an 8 out of 10 rating and the observation that "Brutal Youth has Costello pulling some punches, and Mitchell Froom's production does not have the force of Nick Lowe's. Still, Brutal Youth is the sound of Elvis Costello reentering the '90s. A man out of time and back on track."
Making Music agrees that it is "A return to the approach of Costello's earliest recordings ... the perfect canvas for Costello's voice, leaving room for the harmonies, and all those words. Good songs, well played, produced and performed."
Melody Maker is clearly blown away, declaring it "an emotional whirlwind, a disciplined stab at perfection of form, a jaded howl of unabated anguish and a bloody good beat record."
Me, I thought it was OK, as Elvis Costello albums go.
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Cover.
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