New Musical Express, October 24, 1981: Difference between revisions
(formatting +detail) |
(fix scan error) |
||
Line 14: | Line 14: | ||
Country 'n' western — phew! It's one small step sideways in Costello's career, perhaps, at least where his song writing goes (though not his singing). But ''Almost Blue'', these 12 interpretations of other people's work, is a richly satisfying sidestep. It has the feel of being both a homage and a holiday... so enjoy it, maybe get enlightened, and let's watch how the experience inspires the man's own creative muse when next they get back together. | Country 'n' western — phew! It's one small step sideways in Costello's career, perhaps, at least where his song writing goes (though not his singing). But ''Almost Blue'', these 12 interpretations of other people's work, is a richly satisfying sidestep. It has the feel of being both a homage and a holiday... so enjoy it, maybe get enlightened, and let's watch how the experience inspires the man's own creative muse when next they get back together. | ||
Country music, mind, has never been too far below the surface in the Costello catalogue — like his own "Stranger In The House" and in the feel of nearly all his more mournful, reflective material. For anybody true to their Liverpool-Irish roots, | Country music, mind, has never been too far below the surface in the Costello catalogue — like his own "Stranger In The House" and in the feel of nearly all his more mournful, reflective material. For anybody true to their Liverpool-Irish roots, it could barely be otherwise: that culture's steeped in it, and always will be. | ||
The tone of ''Almost Blue'''s treatments is respectful, therefore, but never slavish. It's a contemporary album, and it's an Attractions album; producer-Billy Sherrill seems to have ensured that the set's authenticity rests with content, not with the form. The one major concession to trad sound is the addition to the band of guitarist John McFee, who supplies a lot of sad, sweet pedal steel. | The tone of ''Almost Blue'''s treatments is respectful, therefore, but never slavish. It's a contemporary album, and it's an Attractions album; producer-Billy Sherrill seems to have ensured that the set's authenticity rests with content, not with the form. The one major concession to trad sound is the addition to the band of guitarist John McFee, who supplies a lot of sad, sweet pedal steel. |
Revision as of 12:44, 18 April 2019
|