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On the cover Of Elvis Costello's first album, My Aim is True (1977), the words "Elvis is King" are repeated over and over again in a checkerboard pattern. Those who knew him only as that uncoordinated guy with the thick glasses and the funny name must have seen this as an obnoxious boast, but even those who liked the music probably didn't take it very seriously.
Nine critically acclaimed albums later, Elvis Costello is regarded as one of the New Wave's most consistent songwriters and performers. And with his latest album, King of America, he again makes a claim to royalty. The album, a collection of 15 songs which are mostly written and performed in county-and-western and rockabilly styles, can be viewed as the result of an Englishman's career-long obsession with both the music and the mystique of America.
This is not the first album Costello has recorded in an American style. Get Happy was a collection of songs written and performed with Motown arrangements, and Almost Blue was a surprisingly straightforward collection of county-and-western covers.
Even though Costello clearly admires American music, he does not romanticize American life. The first song on this album, "Brilliant Mistake," begins, "He thought he was the king of America, where they drink Coca Cola just like vintage wine."
But although Costello's love-hate relationship with America frequently is used as a metaphor for personal relationships, "King of America" shouldn't be viewed as a "concept album." Some songs, such as Costello's cover of the Animals 1965 hit "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," don't have anything to do with America. On the other hand, Costello's remake of J.B. Lenoir's "Eisenhower Blues" seems to have deliberately been included as a piece of Americana.
Costello's utmost concern on this album seems to be directness of expression. He uses veteran American session men on most of the cuts, while his regular back-up band, The Attractions, appears only on "Suit of Lights." There are no complex arrangements like on his last three albums — Imperial Bedroom, Punch The Clock, and Goodbye Cruel World — even though his ear for verbal complexity is evident on such songs as "Glitter Gulch" ("I'd rather be an outlaw than an in-law to you") and "Our Little Angel" ("You're the marshmallow valentine that got stuck on her clothes").
On "Poisoned Rose," however, Costello shows he can write straightforward lyrics in the country manner, and "I'll Wear It Proudly" ranks as one of his most convincing statements of love. And "Lovable," co-written with Costello's fiancee, Cait O'Riordan of the Pogues and "The Big Light" are as infectious as anything Costello has written, while "Misunderstood," also bears repeated listening due to the pain in Costello's voice.
By rejecting the ornateness of his last four albums, Costello put himself in a position to regain some of the bite if his earlier work. Looking back over his 10 albums, however, one sees that no two sound very much alike. Fortunately Costello's musical agility is a match for his restlessness.
Costello's fans anxiously await where he will go next. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.
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