|
The melancholy Bard of the Boomers meets the former enfant terrible of new-wave rock on Painted From Memory.
As one of the most anticipated pop albums of the year, the collaboration by Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello (released this week by Mercury Records) could easily have turned out to be a disappointment.
But Burt and Elvis' initial partnership on the lovely single "God Give Me Strength" from the 1996 movie Grace of My Heart earned them a well-deserved Grammy nomination.
And sometimes high expectations pay off. Such is the case with this intensely beautiful recording, on which Elvis sings and Burt tickles the ivories. They are accompanied by a small combo of seasoned rock and jazz veterans — drummer Jim Keltner, keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Greg Cohen and guitarist Dean Parks plus a female vocal trio and a 24-piece orchestra.
And like Bacharach's best compositions, the 12 songs here (including "God Give Me Strength") are insidiously catchy, pregnant with emotion and filled with Costello's atypically concise lyrics.
Melodies that at first seem tossed off grow with complexity after each hearing. It's an album that can provide connoisseurs of sophisticated, timeless pop music with both a sense of homey comfort and artful stimulation.
Of course, the sad songs are the finest, such as "In the Darkest Place," "This House Is Empty Now," and "Tears at the Birthday Party."
And although Elvis is no Dionne Warwick, his singing on Painted From Memory shows more range and graceful texture than ever before.
This disc is destined to become a classic.
| 
