We should have expected it. Once Elvis Costello saw how much we loved his triumphant return to rock with the Attractions on last year's When I Was Cruel, we should have known the adventurous singer-songwriter would follow up with an abrupt left turn.
In this case, that turn might have been homeward, since earlier this year Costello became betrothed to Canadian jazz singer Diana Krall. Costello's new album, North, could have easily been recorded by Krall — it's an elegant collection of haunting ballads driven largely by soft piano and tasteful horn and string arrangements.
Laid end to end, the 11 songs on "North" depict a narrator lost in the woods of romantic loss, and gradually finding his way out again. "Nothing I do will make you stay / I'm glad it will rain today," Costello croons quietly on the opening track, "You Left Me in the Dark." By the final track, an evocative ode to Manhattan called "I'm in the Mood Again," he's back on his feet and out on the streets.
Costello's expressive, rough-around-the-edges baritone is an excellent vehicle for this wounded soul, and the arrangements have a quiet power to them. Maybe too quiet — the mournful saxophone solos and string washes tend to have a lulling effect after a while.
For a Costello fan weaned on "Peace, Love and Understanding" or "Radio, Radio," it's a little hard to concentrate on an album that's basically "I Want You" from start to finish. The production values and songwriting on North are impeccable, and there's some honest and heartfelt emotion in its well-crafted lyrics. But it may be too subdued for its own good.
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