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Since he snarled his way onto the rock scene during the first British New Wave, Elvis Costello has been inconsistently brilliant in 10 albums that ranged from thrashing, caustic new wave with a punkish edge through American country music to highly produced, orchestrated pieces of high-gloss pop.
Costello reveals vet another new direction on his latest album, an album that draws on the influences of his Almost Blue album, but avoids the pitfalls of that unsuccessful venture into country music.
King of America, The Costello Show (Featuring Elvis Costello) (Columbia Records), makes use of the simple chord structures of country music and the blues on 13 original Costello songs. It also makes use of a host of American musicians, including the rhythm section that backed Elvis Presley, members of the Hall & Oates band, jazz bassist Ray Brown, New Orleans drummer Earl Palmer and Cajun accordionist Jo-El Sonnier.
The production values are a far cry from the high gloss of Costello's last two albums, lean but smooth with some ravishing instrumental effects. A couple of songs don't even have drums in the rhythm section, and many of those that do find the drummer using brushes instead of sticks.
Costello's lyrics are as caustic as they've ever been, full of wicked ironies, bitter blasts at the hypocrisies of small minds, searing slaps at the inconsistencies of love, and agonized tearings at the demons within.
The difference here is that the often brilliant and prolix rantings and musings are contrasted in delivery by the music, which is as simple and direct as the words are ambiguous, although just as wonderfully subtle.
Costello confronts disillusionment and hypocrisy head-on in the opening cut, "Brilliant Mistake," about people who lie to themselves, i.e., "He thought he was the King of America / Where they pour Coca Cola just like vintage wine ..."
"Lovable" and "Our Little Angel" are two misogynistic songs about the fickleness of women — or men's attitudes about that subject. The latter has some of Costello's best imagery, such as "You think that you'll be sweet to her but everybody knows / That you're the marshmallow valentine that got stuck on her clothes."
Costello very effectively employs the skittish-quick beat of rockabilly to suggest the paranoia of his words on "Glitter Gulch," about the evils of consumerism, and "The Big Light," a nightmarish vision of an alcoholic blackout.
Two of the most emotionally resonant, impressive songs are ballads about crumbling love affairs. "Indoor Fireworks," sung of guitars, bass and organ, is a compellingly logical extended metaphor about the dishonesty of lover's quarrels. "Poisoned Rose" is a torch song with a slow jazz foundation that dissects, without actually stating, that old cliche about loving someone who is not good for you.
Throughout this album, Elvis Costello makes creative use of American musical forms to put across his own highly personal vision, making this his most intriguing record to date.
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