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Okay, everybody jump for joy. The new Elvis Costello album is out. It's in the stores and waiting for you to shell out eight bucks for it and provide it with a safe and happy home, free from scratches, nicks, cuts, direct sunlight or anything else that can damage a record.
What? Did I hear somebody say, "Who cares?" Someone lock that infidel dog in a room and force him to listen to all of Barry Manilow's records three times. He'll care then.
Alright, now that I've gotten that out of my system, I can tell you all about the new Elvis Costello album, what's good about it, what's bad about it and why you really should buy it.
First of all, the good things. The album, entitled King Of America, is Elvis' second attempt at a country album, only done right this time. Instead of covering a whole 'nother load of old country chestnuts and proving to the world that his singing ability is not what got him on the map, which is what he did with Almost Blue, this time out he decided to write a few tunes instead with not surprisingly better results.
Elvis has long been the king of the great rock and roll one-liners, and this time out, the man who wrote, "When I said that I was lying I might have been lying" has not failed to please. Just check out "Brilliant mistake": "She said that she was working for the ABC news/ It was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use." Or "Glitter Gulch": "And I'd rather be an outlaw/ Than an in-law to you." Great lines, aren't they.
The rest of the lyrics are consistently good as usual.
Elvis decided not to use the Attractions this time out except for one tune and instead opted to use famous session musicians the likes of Jim Keltner, James Burton and T-bone Wolk. The only real improvement is that these guys know how to play this style of music better than the Attractions, still the best backup band around. But the music suffers not.
Speaking of the music, this album has some of the best music that Elvis has written in years. For starters, "You're So Lovable" has an almost irresistible shuffle beat. It could even be (dare I say it?) a hit single. (Naah!) "Little Palaces" has an excellent duet between Elvis on acoustic guitar and Jerry Scheff on string bass. And the rest of the songs have an evenness to them which has been lacking in some of his recent work.
A couple more good things about this album: Elvis' singing style does seem to lend itself well to country music. Another good idea was the inclusion of a cover of the old Animals' classic, "Don't Let Me be Misunderstood." After all, who better to sing that song than Elvis?
Okay, now to the bad things. One is the other cover song on the album, "Eisenhower Blues." It's not a bad song, but one thing that Elvis Costello is not is a blues singer, which becomes painfully evident after listening to this turkey. Another problem with the album is that it isn't well put together in terms of sequencing. Side two starts out moderately tempoed with "American Without Tears" but then speeds things up to a gallop with "Eisenhower Blues" and then slows things down to a crawl with, "Poisoned Rose." Good songs, but not well ordered.
I'm not going to tell you why you should buy this album; the reasons are self-evident.
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