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Here it is mid-1991 and one of the best albums of the year so far comes from a guy named Elvis.
Of course, that's nothing surprising. In his 14-year career, the one-time angry young man of the British new wave has yet to produce a bad album. So, it's no light compliment to say that Mighty Like a Rose is one of his best.
He's assembled a great hand, including guitarists James Burton — known for his work with that other Elvis — and Marc Ribot, bassist Nick Lowe and members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
The album's songs are packed with richly detailed characters and bright, colorful images. Costello co-wrote two tunes — "So Like Candy" and "Playboy to a Man" — with Paul McCartney, and "Broken" comes from Costello's wife Cait O'Riordan, a former Pogue.
There's also some science fiction ("Hurry Down Doomsday") and political commentary ("Invasion Hit Parade").
The album's best, and possibly Costello's best ever, is "After the Fall," a tune that explores the psychological side of love.
Long live Elvis!
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