Secret, Profane & Sugarcane
| Secret, Profane & Sugarcane | |
 studio album by Elvis Costello | |
| Released | June 2, 2009 |
|---|---|
| Producer | T Bone Burnett |
| Label | Hear Music |
Secret, Profane & Sugarcane is an upcoming album recorded in Nashville between March 31 and April 2, 2008 with T Bone Burnett, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Mike Compton, Dennis Crouch, Jim Lauderdale and others. It is expected to be released June 2, 2009 on the Hear Music label.
Track list
| Title | Writer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Down Among The Wines And Spirits | Elvis Costello | |
| 2. | Complicated Shadows | Elvis Costello | |
| 3. | I Felt The Chill | Elvis Costello, Loretta Lynn | |
| 4. | My All Time Doll | Elvis Costello | |
| 5. | Hidden Shame | Elvis Costello | |
| 6. | She Handed Me A Mirror | Elvis Costello | |
| 7. | I Dreamed Of My Old Lover | Elvis Costello | |
| 8. | How Deep Is The Red | Elvis Costello | |
| 9. | She Was No Good | Elvis Costello | |
| 10. | Sulfur To Sugarcane | Elvis Costello, T Bone Burnett | |
| 11. | Red Cotton | Elvis Costello | |
| 12. | The Crooked Line | Elvis Costello, T Bone Burnett | |
| 13. | Changing Partners | Larry Coleman, Joe Darion |
Background
It is unclear how much of what has been revealed about the album is accurate, since a few of Elvis' initial remarks were obviously tongue in cheek:
2008-03-20 - In a "temporary news update" (pictured below) which appeared on ElvisCostello.com while the site was undergoing a redesign, a list of upcoming events included a few preposterous details:
- March 31st: New Coward Brothers session. Live studio recording of the soundtrack for a stop-frame animation feature adapted from the James Ensor painting, "Christ's Last Entry Into Brussels".
- April 1st: Formal announcement of the release of "Henry and Howard's Last Entry Into Brussels". U.S. edition of record will be released on a state-by-state basis, in alphabetical order.
- Due to problems with piracy, only one copy will be manufactured for issue in each state or international territory.
- Individual copies will be encoded with the new, KNARP discriminators and secreted in the racks of selected stockists.
- Those discovering each unique disc will be free to do with it as their conscience deems fit.
2008-03-28 - A MarketWatch profile of T Bone Burnett was more straighforward:
- When we talked about music, Burnett was cheerful and relaxed, even though he must've been somewhat preoccupied by the massive workload awaiting him.
- He was a few weeks shy of relocating to Nashville, where he and his old friend Costello planned to complete work on an album in only three days...
2008-04-22 - In a post on his official website Elvis added:
- "On Monday morning [March 31], I was in Sound Emporium with my brother Henry Coward and an incredible group of musicians including, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Mike Compton, Dennis Crouch and Jim Lauderdale.
- We successfully recorded the more than 35 pieces of "Henry and Howard's Last Entry Into Brussels" in three days and about which I'm sure you've already heard quite enough. The release of this soundtrack will be announced at this location in due course.
2008-05-20 - An article on Rolling Stone's website about Burnett's new Code format — a higher-fidelity audio-only DVD packaged with a standard CD — mentioned that Burnett "expects Elvis Costello to release his next album with Code."
2008-08-30 - An article about Code in the Los Angeles Times said Costello's next album would be released by Hear Music in 2009.
2008-09-15 - A post on Variety's website described a demonstration of the Code format in which Burnett "played two cuts from the next Elvis Costello album. Both tunes were dominated by acoustic instruments with Costello on acoustic guitar and bluegrass star Stuart Duncan on mandolin; it's a significantly different sound for Costello, a dramatic departure from the last several discs."
2008-09-28 - An article in the San Francisco Chronicle suggested the album's title is Perfect Secrets. Soon after the official Costello website quoted this article but added the cryptic disclaimer: "No such record exists or is scheduled at present."
2008-12-22 - MusicTAP reveals a different title, The Secret, The Profane, and Sugar Cane, and a May release date.
2008-01-17 - In an interview on Gibson.com, Elvis mentions a new song co-written with Loretta Lynn, "I Felt The Chill Before The Winter Came".
2009-01-08 - Direct Current offers a subtle variation on MusicTAP's title, The Secret, The Profane and the Sugar Cane, and a June 9 release date.
2009-02-23 - Billboard indicates that the title is The Secret, The Profane, and Sugar Cane.
