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When he first arrived on these shores five years ago, Britain's Elvis Costello was an angry young man, daring to seize the moniker of America's king rocker and demanding that his own talent be acknowledged.
What arrogance. But what talent.
The prolific Costello turned out album after album, each crammed with as many as 20 songs, ranging from the blasts of punk sneer to excursions into Nashville twang.
Even in his less abrasive songs, Costello never developed a personality you could embrace, or even want to be near. But his music, especially in Trust, was consistently sterling.
His latest album is a superior effort that is, at times, as warm as often as it is chillingly brilliant, which is to say very often indeed.
While he is still cheeky, Costello's attitude toward life and women seems to be more mature, though still enigmatic. Here he discloses what goes on behind those closed doors of the imperial bedroom, exploring the complexities of love.
He tells in "The Long Honeymoon" of a wife who's wondering where her husband is. But now Costello is sympathetic and full of rue: "She thought too late and spoke too soon / There's no money-back guarantee on future happiness."
The 15 cuts on the album have similar twists in his stories of love gone or going wrong. But as compelling as his episodes are, the lyrics couldn't go far without his continued knack of finding wonderful, curving melodies and backing by Steve Nieve's stunning arrangements. Especially strong is "...And in Every Home" which has an eccentric, string-filled arrangement reminiscent of Sgt. Pepper.
More time was spent in the studio for this work and the result was worth that luxury. The album was produced with sensitivity to nuance by Geoff Emerick.
Between the lines and melodies is a more vulnerable Costello. In "Human Hands" he sings: "All I ever want is just to fall into your human hands." And in the somber but lovely "Town Cryer," he acknowledges his lover's distrust: "If you don't believe my heart is in the right place / Why don't you take a good look at my face."
And on the back cover, there is Costello in a straw hat, his face resting in one hand, holding a half-smile that asks to proceed, with caution.
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