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Let's get one thing straight: We don't like country music.
Oh sure, we liked Nashville Skyline when it first came out, but that was different because it was Dylan, right?
Some of Willie Nelson's stuff is okay, and he even gets written up in Rolling Stone.
George Jones is simply a great singer, so he's not bad either.
And we've always been knocked out by the early Little Feat albums, but if "Truck Stop Girl" doesn't qualify as county ballad, we're not sure what does.
Now that that's cleared up, we'd like to say we do like Almost Blue (Columbia), the new Elvis Costello record, even though we're probably not supposed to.
It might seem unusual for the prince of New Wave and the former "angry young man" of rock 'n' roll to put out an album composed entirely of country standards done in the traditional Nashville manner. It might seem out of character, that is, had one not been watching his career with more than a casual eye.
Mr. C. wrote "Stranger in the House," a countrified tale of dwindling love, which was recorded by both Rachel Sweet and the aforementioned Mr. Jones.
Elvis' last two albums have included at least one "straight" country tune, "Motel Matches," on last year's Get Happy and "Different Finger" on this year's Trust, both tales of unlamented extramarital affairs.
Elvis has long expressed his admiration for George Jones, and joined him on an album and on stage for a special performance televised on HBO earlier this year. Within this context, Almost Blue seems like the most natural thing in the world for the enigmatic British singer/ songwriter to do. The only surprise might be his decision not to include any originals on the album, chosing instead to cover songs by the likes of Hank Williams, Don Gibson, Merle Haggard and Billy Sherrill (the noted Nashville producer who handled the chores for Elvis this time around).
Pedal steel guitarist (and Doobie Brother) John McFee and violinist Tommy Miller are the only other instrumentalists to join Elvis' eminently adaptable Attractions, and the Nashville Edition helps out on backing vocals.
We are largely unfamiliar with many of the original versions of these tunes, and don't pretend to be an expert in the field of country music. However, we've always found Elvis Costello to be one of the most emotional and exciting performers on the scene today, and we're delighted he's taken such an adventurous step in widening his boundaries.
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