Q, July 2006

Q, July '06

ELVIS COSTELLO AND ALLEN TOUSSAINT The River In Reverse VERVE FORECAST

4 Stars

National treasure meets New Orleans soul legend.

A proper collaborative effort (five co-written tracks, seven from Toussaint’s rich back catalogue, one Solo effort from Costello), The River In Reverse’s soulful arrangements and warm textures are no surprise. So much so that they paper over the cracks in Costello’s vocal range, bringing out his best croon, particularly on the funeral march of The Sharpest Thorn, the jumping Tears, Tears And More Tears and the title track, a tense, driven piece of controlled anger. Whole theses could be written about the influence of, and influences on, these men. Or you could just listen to this album and hear them all for yourself.

ANDY FYFE