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Elvis Costello is nothing if not consistent in his inconsistency: Ever since the mid-'80s, when he first began moving away from the intelligent new wave that made his name, the singer-songwriter has kept returning to his classical- and jazz-influenced side projects. "Songs for voice and orchestra are the core of 'My Flame Burns Blue,'" explains the New York Post (three stars out of four) in a minimalist review, while Newsday (grade B+) describes the effort as "a stunning collaboration with The Metropole Orkest, recorded live in The Hague in 2004."
Billboard notes that "While this release might not please "angry young Elvis" rock traditionalists, it rewards those willing to follow the artist with his ongoing exploration of popular music," whereas the Orlando Sentinel (four stars out of five) speaks for the "rock traditionalists" when it says that the album "won't make you want to toss My Aim Is True, but if a guy has to grow older, this is a graceful way to do it."
For all the curiosities — like the jazzy, show-tune version of "Watching the Detectives" — All Music (four out of five) insists that "what really makes it a good record is that the performance is lively, energetic, and, yes, joyous, which means that even if this may be an art project, it's flat-out more entertaining than any album he's released since [1998's Burt Bacharach collaboration] Painted from Memory."
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