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If there is any question whether he is alive, the answer is definitely, Elvis lives. Elvis Costello that is, as he proves on his latest release, Spike. Costello, accompanied by a long list of friends has come out with over 60 minutes of music that crosses over many musical genres including jazz, blues and Irish folk.
The album opens with "...This Town..." which begins the showcase of talent that Costello has assembled for the album. On guitar and lending his voice to the chorus is Roger McGuinn, of the Byrds, and Paul McCartney who plays bass and helped to co-write two of the songs on the album.
The collaboration between Costello and McCartney produced "Veronica" and "Pads, Paws and Claws," which are the album's most straight-forward pop songs. However, for Costello, pop is not limited to guitars, bass and drums. These songs for example, include a Tympani drum, Baldwin spinet, Chamberlain piano, Wurlitzer electric piano and they are two of the more simply-arranged songs on the album.
Jazz also plays a large role in the mix of the music especially on "Chewing Gum," in which Costello uses a Sousaphone to provide a deeper bass line. The song also features the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, who play on three songs and provide the base for the Jazz sound which at times borders on a big band sound.
One cut which features the Brass Band is "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror," a slow song that has a Gospel background to it and sounds as if it could fit onto nearly any Van Morrison album. Despite the importance of the instruments to the album, lyrics never take a backseat on a Costello composition. Due to his lyrics Costello not only gives you a sound but also a vivid picture throughout the album. For example, on "Satellite" the descriptions provide a complete illustration. "She looked like she learned to dance from a series of still pictures, She's madly excited now, she throws her hands up like a tulip, She looks like an illustration of a cocktail party."
When the lyrics are combined with the music of Costello and his guests the results are a complex album that is distant from his classic earlier albums such as My Aim Is True and Trust. However, despite the many different sounds, Costello's voice is always there to reassure that this is definitely his album and definitely a rock album. Elvis is back, and he's not in the Enquirer, he's on Spike.
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