Montreal Gazette, November 21, 1981: Difference between revisions
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<center><h3> Costello pays tribute to country & western </h3></center> | <center><h3> Costello pays tribute to country & western </h3></center> | ||
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Nowhere is the "damned if you do and damned if you don't" attitude more prevalent than in the claustrophobic little world of rock'n'roll. | Nowhere is the "damned if you do and damned if you don't" attitude more prevalent than in the claustrophobic little world of rock 'n' roll. | ||
Take Elvis Costello's new country album '' | Take Elvis Costello's new country album ''Almost Blue'' (Columbia) for instance. | ||
This is a brave new effort in brand-new territory for Costello, and quite in keeping with that curious and adventurous spirit that fuels the most exciting artist to emerge from the British New Wave. | This is a brave new effort in brand-new territory for Costello, and quite in keeping with that curious and adventurous spirit that fuels the most exciting artist to emerge from the British New Wave. | ||
Yet, because | Yet, because ''Almost Blue'' puts Costello squarely in mainstream country & western, those very people who've praised his pioneering work in the past now claim he's either gone too far, or sold out to Nashville, or both. | ||
In fact, he's done nothing of the sort, | In fact, he's done nothing of the sort, ''Almost Blue'' is, quite simply, Costello's tribute to the music and artists he's long admired, performed in inimitable Costello-style and supported by his stellar trio The Attractions. [[John McFee]] of the Doobies adds the final touch with some fine work on lead guitar and pedal steel. | ||
Costello has chosen to cover 12 of the finest songs ever written in country music | Costello has chosen to cover 12 of the finest songs ever written in country music — songs by giants like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams and Gram Parsons — and he covers them simply, lovingly and without affectation of any kind. | ||
Costello's remarkable talent for vocal phrasing and coloration shines on the ballads here, and he has a field day with the vivid lyrics that typify country music. | Costello's remarkable talent for vocal phrasing and coloration shines on the ballads here, and he has a field day with the vivid lyrics that typify country music. | ||
Producer | Producer Billy Sherrill's "Too Far Gone," and the late Gram Parson's "Hot Burrito #1" and the "How Much I Lied" are but three reasons to buy an album that is both superb C & W and further proof that Elvis Costello is the most intriguing and open-minded pop artist to come along in many years. | ||
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Latest revision as of 05:08, 5 December 2015
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