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There are a couple of things you need to know about Elvis Costello's latest album.
All This Useless Beauty contains songs the prolific British artist wrote for others, as well as some new tunes.
The collection also finds Costello playing, once again, with the Attractions, his most sympathetic instrumental collaborators.
These were wise decisions made by the self-taught singer-songwriter, who was born Declan MacManus. By focusing on strong songs and by relying on the Attractions for musical support, Costello has produced an album that recalls some of his best works, including, King of America, This Year's Model and Blood & Chocolate.
All This Useless Beauty begins somewhat slowly, with three bordering-on-boring ballads. Even Costello sounds somewhat uninterested in the obsessive matters of the heart of which he's singing.
Then comes "Complicated Shadows," and the album's slow start is quickly forgotten. The bluesy tune was originally written for Johnny Cash, but it's difficult to imagine the Man in Black doing it the kind of justice Costello and company do. With the band providing a sensual instrumental backdrop, Costello taps into his lower register to deliver the song's advice: "You don't have to take it from me/ But I know of what I spake / You think you're like iron and steel / But iron and steel will bend and break / In these complicated shadows."
From this moment on, Costello keeps improving, taking aim at the New Age-y men's movement in "Poor Fractured Atlas" and break-ups in "It's Time." The former song, despite its sardonic tone, is a beautiful ballad that owes its loveliness to the classical sounds (Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata") that inspire it. The latter tune, meanwhile, finds Costello tapping into a hip-hop beat, and while he doesn't rap the lyrics, he sings them with the passion of a rapper.
It's Costello's singing, in fact, that is most impressive throughout. Instead of overdoing it, he looks to the mood of the song and then matches the appropriate vocals with it. Sometimes he even seeks out others for inspiration. His most impressive outing is on "Why Can't a Man Stand Alone?" On this soulful piano ballad, Costello's phrasing and delivery are reminiscent of Ray Charles'.
The band proves its mettle time and again, handling each musical curve tossed by Costello with aplomb — from the Byrds-ish "You Bowed Down" (a song written for and recorded by Roger McGuinn) to the sprightly pop of "Starting to Come to Me" to the elegant ballad "Distorted Angel."
On this collection, Costello, with vitality and conviction, has gracefully settled into his role as aging rock star. In doing so, he's also reinforced his reputation as one of rock's finest songwriters.
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