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Elvis Costello never fails to amaze. He's spent his entire career (hard to believe it’s only been four years) having total disregard for the current musical scene. Elvis does what Elvis wants, public and critics be damned. But this "screw you" attitude hasn't driven people away instead, more and more have been attracted to the rock.
Now Elvis is faced with the problem of many established artists. How do you innovate and surprise when your originalities have become commonplace? Costello’s latest album, Trust, overcomes this artistic dilemma quite nicely. Take the best of what you have wrought, add the energy that peaked on Get Happy, and the writing that made Armed Forces tenderly tough, and you have the best Costello album yet.
Best in the sense that is the creme de la creme of the base work. Trust contains little of the innovation, almost none of the wild chances that shall endear My Aim Is True forever. But it does have the arrangement, the melody, the bitter and literate lyrics and the Nick Lowe, fine-tuned production that characterize every Costello album. But Trust isn't merely resting on laurels. Costello and the Attractions are as energetic as ever. but the energy is directed to perfection of the craft of creation.
Probably the most noticeable change is in Elvis’ voice. Elvis has learned how to sing, in the traditional sense: his vocals are clear and strong, his transitions flowing, and his melodies are now melodic. Gone is the farfisa organ that pounded in This Year's Model, sang in Armed Forces, and spit in Get Happy, and Steve Nieve has traded in his sleezy little organ for a grand piano, adding a flowing movement to the arrangements. The guests on Trust are Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze and Martin Belmont of the Rumour, As these musicians (and bands) owe much to Costello (and vice versa) the additions are both welcome and well placed.
As the individual songs go, description of melody and style are, for the most part, useless. Elvis has a gift for melody, in the sense, that it is something to put the words to, but Costello would rather have no frills music for luxury verses. Trust concerns itself with sex and relationships for the most part. (Though "Fish’n’Chip Papers" is a nice swipe at England’s Fleet Street papers, which make the New York Post look like the National Review.) But it is not the romantic sex of Springsteen or the hot, physical sex of the Rolling Stones. but rather intellectual sex. It is talking sex — the relationship has problems because of thoughts and words, said and unsaid. Infidelity and other problems are just manifestations of these intellectual crossword puzzles:
Curious women running after Curious men,
Curiosity didn't kill the cat,
It was a poisoned pen,
But there's not much choice,
Between a cruel mouth and a jealous voice,
"Pretty Words" can’t cover everything.
The album contains rolling rockers ("Club Land," "Luxembourg," "Lover's Walk" and "Strict Time" and well paced ballads "You'll Never Be a Man," "New Lace Sleeves"). The standouts are those with standout lyrics, "You'll Never Be a Man," about sexual maturity versus being brown up, "New Lace Sleeve," about morality, and "White Knuckles," a wrenching story of a woman submitting to brutal near rape with a man who is considerably desirable to other women. Elvis even sings a duet with Glenn Tilbrook on "From a Whisper to a Scream." This is not so much a duet as it is a duel of verses. "Different Finger" is a country song in the mode of "Stranger in the House," This typical country tale of infidelity has that special Elvis twist:
I don't wanna hear your whole life story,
Or about my strange resemblance to some old flame,
All I want is one night of glory,
I don't even know your second name,
"Shot With His Own Gun" is probably the best song on the album. With only an almost classically arranged piano for background, Elvis with his new voice weaves a song of boredom brought on by familiarity.
What's on his mind is anyone's guess,
He's losing touch with each caress
Spend every evening looking so appealing
He comes without warning, leaves without feeling,
The couple, married by sex, now must live as strangers because no emotion has developed in the marriage. Elvis, once bitter because he was deprived of sex, now realizes it isn't a cure-all, and is bitter for this reason.
Elvis does pay deference to the past on his last song. "Big Sister’s Clothes," The song begins and ends with psychedelic noise (circa 1967) and has the guitar/tambourine sound of the Byrds. That is as far as it goes. Elvis Costello will always be Elvis Costello. Bless his little horn-rimmed glasses.
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