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Elvis Costello has never been one to pander to his public, instead, he is forever launching bittersweet attacks on one's consciousness — rarely is the effect less than devastating. Of all the rock albums released in the past few years, the ones by Elvis Costello have always been the hardest to review.
The reason is simple: they are so brim full of meaning and inherent lyrical strength that it's a brave critic, or foolish one depending on your point of view, who expresses satisfaction at having contributed a full and wholesome review, with nothing left out.
Trust (F-Beat) is Costello's fifth album and more or less following in the same vein as its predecessor, Get Happy. Fourteen songs, all good in their own right, form themselves into an air-tight package, unerringly produced by Nick Lowe.
Many people are turned off by Costello's preoccupation with the bleaker, more depressing side of life. Titles such as "Pretty Words," "Strict Time," "Watch Your Step," "Shot With His Own Gun" and "Fish 'n' Chip Paper" reveal the old coldness, but whereas Get Happy was on the whole stark and chillingly hopeless in its outlook, Trust threads a more optimistic path.
Though as cynical as ever and still seemingly with that big chip on his shoulder, Costello refuses to let the music suffer, with the result that the album fairly races along, containing great dance tunes courtesy of "Clubland" and the superb "From a Whisper to a Scream" with Glenn Tilbrook lending a hand with the vocals.
The best track on the album has to be "New Lace Sleeves," a beautiful song that could be a huge hit if released as a single. Steve Nieve, Bruce Thomas and Pete Thomas play their hearts out as usual and the result is an album that you've got to get. Highly recommended.
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