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One of pop music's most enduring and intelligent talents, Elvis Costello returns with a record that should satisfy old fans and perhaps win him some new ones.
Costello disappeared for a while, saying he was changing his performing persona to Declan MacManus (his real name) and leaving Elvis Costello behind.
He still seems a trifle nervous about his alter ego — besides the name on the album cover, Costello is credited only as "E.C." in the liner.
And "D.P.A. MacManus" is also credited with vocals on a couple of tunes.
This intriguing split personality isn't so obvious in the work itself, though. The songs — 15 of them, in keeping with his reputation — are all cleverly written and arranged.
Being challenging and intelligent, none of the songs lend themselves to pop radio, the bastion of mediocrity that it is, with the exception of the sprightly "Veronica," co-written by Paul McCartney, who certainly knows his way around the hits (McCartney also co-wrote the potential hit "Pads, Paws and Claws," which sounds like a hipper "Helen Wheels").
Many of the songs have a distinct Irish feel about them. "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror" is Van Morrison-esque in its horn arrangement and spare production (T Bone Burnett co-produced), while many other tunes carry Irishness in the music itself, like the use of Uilleann pipes on "Tramp the Dirt Down," "Miss Macbeth" and "Any King's Shilling."
The album is most riveting when MacManus / Costello turns to political issues.
The powerful anti-capital-punishment "Let Him Dangle" asks "If killing anybody is a terrible crime / Why does this bloodthirsty chorus come round from time to time / Let him dangle..."
And the chilling "Tramp the Dirt Down" is a surgical knifing of Margaret Thatcher: "...when they finally put you in the ground / I'll stand on your grave and tramp the dirt down," Costello sings.
The record is a delight, showing Costello's tremendous ability to draw mental images and use them to make a point.
Gone, perhaps, are the relentlessly upbeat days of the 20-song records like Get Happy! and Punch the Clock, but anyone who listens to the incredible "Satellite" or the simple, lovely "Baby Plays Around" will be glad that Elvis, or Declan, or whoever, is back and making serious statements now.
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