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I was ready to count Elvis out after the mess that was Hey Clockface and Spanish Model– and thankfully I was wrong. This is a man with a mission, and with The Imposters, he delivers the goods. He looks back on his youth, as the title is really “The Boy Named If (And Other Children’s Stories)” and he sounds great here on the opener “Farewell, OK.” with a big call back to his early sound from the late ’70s. You will hear many callbacks to past works, and that’s part of the fun.
The tortured autobiographical title track is both melodic and biting emotion works over the haunting arrangements. Lots of highlights; “The Difference,” “Paint the Red Rose Blue,” “Magnificent Hurt,” and “Mistook Me For A Friend,” which references his big hit “Pump It Up.” Great storytelling, with jazz, funk, blues bits sprinkled all over. Many songs here require study and repeat listens to get the full story. I never put Costello in the power-pop category as an artist, but he’s had some really catchy hits in the past and this album relights that fuse. What a great comeback (IMO) and brilliant return to form.
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