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Costello's LP is lacking
Chuck Pratt / Chicago Sun-Times
Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Get Happy!!
Costello fans will be delighted by the 20 (count 'em, 20) new songs on the angry young man's fourth album — but they might also wonder if the artist isn't spreading himself too thin. Get Happy very well may be Costello's reversal of the familiar architectural dictum: More is less. Even with all those tunes, the listener comes away with the nagging feeling that something's missing.
It's not production expertise. Though it's spare, this is what Nick Lowe has always done for Elvis. It's not vision. Costello's songs continue to explore the warped terrain of modern love. Perhaps it's anger that's lacking, the bitter edge that enhanced the impact of such superb discs as Armed Forces and This Year's Model. Oh, there's bitterness on "B Movie," "Love for Tender" and "Human Touch," but such throwaway tracks as "Motel Matches" and "King Horse" are emotionally bland.
The album is hardly a loser; it's just uneven. "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down" ranks with "Alison" as an incandescent ballad. "Temptation" and "I Stand Accused" are potent.
Costello's valuable contribution to the New Wave scene has been snarling romanticism, a commodity sadly lacking on Get Happy.
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