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Keeping up with Elvis Costello is like subscribing to too many magazines. As soon as you get caught up with your reading, three more are in the mailbox.
Costello fans have been busy the last 12 months. The English new wave artist has released three albums in that time, each with as many cuts as Reagan's budget. Last spring it was Get Happy, with no less than 20 tunes. Then came a collection of singles, Taking Liberties, again with 20 songs on one disc.
Now comes "Trust" (an ironic title for one of the more suspicious — even paranoid — songwriters around), with seven songs to a side. The fat is gone, and, like the new prez, he has retained the heavy artillery. This latest effort is impressive — more consistent and unified than Taking Liberties and perhaps stronger overall than the popular Get Happy.
Again, ageless rocker Nick Lowe served as producer and he must be credited for the album's steady, solid sound. The most noticeable — and favorable — change on Costello's sixth LP is the move of keyboardist Steve Nieve from organ to piano. The result is a stronger, more percussive rhythm section to support Costello's songs.
Though the Attractions remain tight and disciplined, especially on the fast tunes, the strength of the album is in Costello's songs. His distinctive voice can become wearisome, and the elemental makeup of the band (guitar, bass, drums, keyboard) hinders musical innovation.
But the songs are excellent. They'd be even better, one suspects, if one could understand all the lyrics, but Costello continues to frustrate listeners by not always enunciating well, and by not including a lyric sheet. It's one way of getting people to listen closely.
From what snatches of song are clear, his sense of wordplay and his jaundiced view of life are intact. A line in "You'll Never Be a Man" is "I don't wanna be first, I just wanna last."
Though he'll probably never match the ferocity of his first album, Costello continues to rock. The first cut on the new album, "Clubland," shows the Lowe approach at its best. "Luxembourg," one of the record's strongest songs, features an echo-embellished vocal that is reminiscent of '50s rock 'n' roll.
The bouncy "Strict Time" is another strong point and "Watch Your Step," sung with a sinister sneer, recalls the memorable "Watching the Detectives" from his first album. Another surprise on the album is "From a Whisper to a Scream," with a strong guest vocal from Glenn Tilbrook.
The slower songs don't come off as well. But if previous experience holds true, they'll get better with repeated listenings. And by the time we appreciate them, he'll have another album ready.
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