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Produced by pop purist Nick Lowe, Get Happy!! features twenty tunes that waste little time cinching the streamlined snap popular music can evince. The large number of cuts under three minutes necessitates an esprit which transforms fit-and-run songs into mini-happenings. And, for the most part, this album succeeds, because Costello and Lowe can model melodies as tight as thumbscrews.
The most debilitating drawback of such a venture would be a lack of differentiation between cuts, but Costello is not yet bankrupt as a songwriter. His range is extensive, enough so to gear up for the opening tune or get serene on "Secondary Modern." The majority of Get Happy!! falls somewhere in between, with Costello and The Attractions proving themselves as sensitive connoisseurs of pop expression. Some of the tunes lose their impact in the shuffle, yet Costello has avoided padding his album with fluff.
Cuts like "New Amsterdam" and "King Horse" witness some of his strongest work to date, as he imparts formality to a genre that is not instinctively sober. Unfortunately, a lyrics sheet is not included, so you have to listen attentively, especially when Costello chews his phrases. Then again, who ever remembers more than snippets of verse anyway?
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