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It is getting tough to call Elvis "Don't Call Me Elvis Costello" Costello's musical twists and turns surprising anymore.
When one's musical career is built on the element of surprise, there can be no true surprises.
That said, we'll just call King of America an abrupt departure, particularly in light of the mushy mess he made of his last studio LP, Goodbye Cruel World.
Here Costello goes after a distinctly countryish feel ("Our Little Angel," "Glitter Gulch," "Indoor Fireworks," "American Without Tears" and "Poisoned Rose"), with a little Everly Brothers-style rock ("Lovable"), a solid cover of a classic Animals tune ("Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"), a blues ("Eisenhower Blues") and a savage sendup of life in the colonies ("Brilliant Mistake") thrown in to keep you loose.
All told, King of America is an entertaining record, not Costello's best, but still strong.
His country dalliances are far more believable than his last foray into twangland, the eminently forgettable Almost Blue.
And the aforementioned Animals cover, the first single release, is tense and forbidding, a terrific outing for Costello's passionately pleading vocal style.
Musically, "Indoor Fireworks" is a winning ballad, though his lyric images are a tad slick. But "Sleep of the Just" harkens back to some of the British rude boy's best work from Armed Forces and Imperial Bedroom days.
Give co-producer T Bone Burnett a lot of credit for helping strip away some of the rococo ornateness that had crept into Costello's arrangements of late and for bringing a sharper focus to bear on his melodies.
And give Costello credit for being willing to take chances.
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