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Elvis Costello is quite a productive artist. It's hardly been four years since Columbia released his first album, My Aim Is True, during the initial emergence of new wave music. That was early 1977. Now in early 1981, Costello has just released Trust, his sixth album. Most of those six albums contain more than the average amount of songs (Get Happy!! and Taking Liberties had 20 apiece), so he has an adequate amount of solid material behind him.
There are 14 songs on this new album, seven on each side. This seems to be a smart move on Costello's part, rather than choosing the 20-song format. On Get Happy!!, the arrangements seemed a bit like incomplete ideas, as if he were in a hurry while finishing the lengthy work. For instance, check how many songs seemed like they were cut a bit short by a fade out. The previously released material on Taking Liberties seemed to fit the format better but by only using 14 songs on Trust, Costello is able to concentrate on each individual song more, and able to brush up the arrangements.
Trust retains the variety that we saw on Taking Liberties. Costello is not afraid to experiment for there is quite an assortment of musical styles explored here by him and the Attractions. Costello's influences and tastes are seemingly endless — he pays tribute to '50s music with a speedy Elvis Presley-type rocker called "Luxembourg" and with the slightly modified Bo Diddley beat in "Lover's Walk." The bouncing "Strict Time" is a pleasingly melodic pop song, the type of which Costello's always been a master. "New Lace Sleeves" is the same kind of tune, reinforced with a punchy bass line and a quick, driving beat that won't let the song quit.
On Taking Liberties it was surprising how well Costello applied himself to country music in "Radio Sweetheart" and the especially catchy "Stranger in the House." Current country music king George Jones even covered the latter, and went so far as to have Elvis sing alternate verses with him on it. On Trust he shows us again how adept he is at writing an infectious country song with "Different Finger," which you may find yourself tapping your foot to as it strolls along.
The rest of the songs are fairly typical Costello-brand pop-rock with the exception of "Shot with His Own Gun," one of his most stunningly beautiful compositions ever. Keyboardist Steve Nieve, probably the most talented Attraction member, is really given a chance to show off. With only his classical-style piano backing Elvis' singing, the song is almost spooky. The melody is nothing like a normal rock-and-roll melody, and the lyrics tell a haunting tale about the bitter taste of lost innocence ("...so disappointing to find it's no big sin / lying skin to skin"), and later in the same song, "...It's a little bit more now than dressin' up dolly / playin' house seems so melancholy."
In other Trust songs, his lyrics often concentrate on struggling or soured relationships, like they have on Costello's earlier albums. Sometimes it's simply a matter of honesty for Costello, as in "Big Sister's Clothes" ("...it's easier to say 'I love you' than 'Yours sincerely' I suppose...."), or in "New Lace Sleeves" ("She's no angel, he's no saint / we're all covered up with whitewash and grease paint"). Other times, Costello is passionate to the point of ugly reality, as in "White Knuckles" ("White knuckles on black and blue skin / I didn't mean to hit her but she kept laughin'"). Finally in "Fish 'N' Chip Paper," he continues to stress the dangers of passivity, which is a theme that he and the whole new wave movement practically stood for from the start. The challenge to question things instead of accepting them quietly is still there. For example: "You better speak up now, if you want your peace / you better speak up now, it won't mean a thing later / yesterday's news is tomorrow's fish and chip paper." All in all, Costello is extremely clever with his use of the English-language.
If the mood set by the lyrics seems overly serious, one need only examine the amusing sleeve and jacket to see that Costello can still laugh at himself. From the mock Humphrey Bogart pose and movie poster backcover, to the inner sleeve picture tribute to his look-alike Buddy Holly, he has a creative sense of humor.
Trust is a nice step forward for Costello, and it would seem that he needs now is a hit single to start the momentum and boost him to the top. With all the good material he's put out up till now, it's hard to understand why that hasn't happened already.
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