|
It took only three days for Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnett, Jerry Douglas, Dennis Crouch, Stuart Duncan and Jim Lauderdale to cut "Secret, Profane & Sugarcane," Costello's first country album since 1986's "King of America," another record produced by Burnett. And the little time spent comes through clearly on the disc.
With his crack Nashville backing band and Burnett at the helm, Costello revisits older songs, unreleased tunes, never-finished works and more on "Secret," which gives the disc a leftover feeling. But that doesn't mean the songs aren't good. "Sulphur to Sugarcane" is a rollicking good time; "I Dreamed of my Old Lover" is old-school country at its finest. It's sweet, musically ambitious and sentimentally beautiful.
But the record has an appropriately spontaneous feel that takes a way from its cohesiveness. "Hidden Shame" is a leftover from 2004's "The Delivery Man," and this bluegrass take on the tune feels blatant and obvious, strained and by-the-numbers. It's just one of too many examples of how "Secret" contains too many leftovers and not enough new gems. Does it make the album unlistenable? Absolutely not. But the Nashville-loving Costello fan, you're better off popping in "King of America" again.
|
