Montreal Gazette, November 21, 1981: Difference between revisions
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Nowhere is the "damned if you do and damned if you don't" attitude more prevalent than in the claustrophobic little world of rock'n'roll. | |||
Take Elvis Costello's new country album ''[[Almost Blue]]'' ('''Columbia''') for instance. | |||
This is a brave new effort in brand-new territory for Costello, and quite in keeping with that curious and adventurous spirit that fuels the most exciting artist to emerge from the British New Wave. | |||
Yet, because '''''Almost Blue''''' puts Costello squarely in mainstream country & western, those very people who've praised his pioneering work in the past now claim he's either gone too far, or sold out to Nashville, or both. | |||
In fact, he's done nothing of the sort, '''''Almost Blue''''' is, quite simply, Costello's tribute to the music and artists he's long admired, performed in inimitable Costello-style and supported by his stellar trio [[The Attractions]]. [[John McFee]] of the [[The Doobie Brothers|Doobies]] adds the final touch with some fine work on lead guitar and pedal steel. | |||
Costello has chosen to cover 12 of the finest songs ever written in country music - songs by giants like [[George Jones]], [[Merle Haggard]], [[Hank Williams]] and [[Gram Parsons]] - and he covers them simply, lovingly and without affectation of any kind. | |||
Costello's remarkable talent for vocal phrasing and coloration shines on the ballads here, and he has a field day with the vivid lyrics that typify country music. | |||
Producer [[Billy Sherrill]]'s ''[[Too Far Gone]]'', and the late Gram Parson's Hot Burrito #1 and the [[How Much I Lied]] are but three reasons to buy an album that is both superb C & W and further proof that Elvis Costello is the most intriguing and open-minded pop artist to come along in many years. | |||
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Revision as of 15:14, 10 January 2015
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