|
Those wide brown eyes and raised eyebrows spell the epitome of innocence. The kind of face you could bring home to Mother and Dad, the kind of face you can take to an antique collector's fair, the kind of face you can trust.
Coincidentally. the name of Elvis Costello and the Attractions' newest effort is Trust produced by some strange person known as Nick Lowe, the album contains fourteen soup which add up to nearly an hour of musical listening; definitely an "L.P." It's also got two sides, a nice movie still on the back, a hole in the middle...
Anyway, there is plenty of variety in this baby. Something for everybody, in a manner of speaking. Nice blend of happy, sad, mellow -- even a lil 'ol bit of country is in there to keep your ears happy. Side One opens with "Clubland," a nice, fairly danceable tune with a marvelous piano bit in the middle sandwiched in between some intense guitar jams and Elvis' husky voice.
The pace livens up considerable with "Lovers Walk," a sorta "Cuban Slide" intro, if you will. You can just see Costello bunny-hopping along to this one.
"Luxembourg" and "Strict Time" are the fast numbers on this side, the former a fun dance number, the latter adding a little depth in the lyrics.
"You'll Never He A Man" and "Watch Your Step" are slower, more reflective numbers that show Costello's sensitive side. "Pretty Words" is typically Costello, reminiscent almost of some of the stuff on Get Happy.
The introduction to "New Lace Sleeves" reminds one of Devo's `Satisfaction," but mellows out boards the end. "White Knuckles" is another song typical of Costello's style. The country number is "Different Finger," complete with the big guitar sound, the tale of the one-night stand — Pearl Harbour, move over. The vocals are also great.
"From a Whisper to a Scream" features vocalist Glenn Tilbrook and guitarist Martin Belmont. Tilbrook has an interesting voice, sort of a flat Robin Zander, it you know what I mean. Still, blended with Costello's voice and guitar, it comes across wry nicely.
"Shot With His Own Gun" is a rather poignant ballad with a melancholy, dramatic piano that for some reason, made me want to tango. Very deep chords and sensitive vocals here. Not for dancing.
All in all, Trust is a compelling piece of vinyl. Comparisons to his previous works are redundant in most reviews, so I won't bother with the unnecessaries. It's a good effort from the artist you can always "Trust." (Couldn't resist the pun.)
| 
