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The interplay between theory and practice is an interesting concept, which is why Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ Spanish Model, his Spanish-language remake of Costello’s second album, presents intriguing possibilities. This Year’s Model, his first LP to feature the Attractions, created even more waves than his debut, My Aim Is True. Costello was a force of nature, spewing bile, while the Attractions laid down short, sharp shots filled with aggression. In 1978, it was the sound America needed to hear.
Which actually poses a bit of a problem. The sheer belligerence of the music is perfectly matched by Costello’s vocals. Yet the concept for Spanish Model is to have contemporary Spanish vocalists redo the songs while working against the original music beds. On paper, it sounds intriguing, yet in practice it ends up feeling just a bit lacking in commitment. What felt like life and death in the Jimmy Carter era, just doesn’t pack the same punch over 40 years after the fact.
Right off the bat, you can feel the power being put into “No Action,” but Nina Diaz simply can’t match Costello’s intensity. Pete Thomas’ drums are going a mile a minute, Bruce Thomas is pounding on the bass, while Steve Nieve’s Farfisa-ish runs only add to the aggro attitude. Still, you have to give the version points for the way the drums lead into “(Yo No Quiero Ir a) Chelsea.” Raquel Sofía and Fuego handle the vocals and Sofía manages to hold her own on the track, although it takes on more of a dub feel as the song progresses.
While Costello seems to spit out the phrases, Luis Fonsi seems to be more than a wee bit out of his depth on “Tu Eres Para Mi (You Belong to Me).” There simply is no sense of danger. It sounds almost polite, something that Costello never would have copped to at the time. The Spanish version of “Lip Service,” “Mentira” can’t hold a candle to the original even with Costello and the Attractions pumping out the backing.
When it comes to serious missteps, “La Turba (Night Rally)” totally fills the bill. Jorge Drexler simply lacks the energy to pull off the seething anger at the heart of the number. Similarly, Fito Paez is completely out of his depth on “Radio Radio” despite his added English protestations at the end of the song. However, the duet of Gian Marco and Nicole Zignago on “Crawling to the U.S.A.” more successfully maintains the attitude Costello and his compatriots charged the proceedings with initially.
There is a definite sense to the recording that the singing seems more than a bit soft around the edges. Whatever you may have thought of Costello, at this particular point in his career there was no way you could have described him as soft. At times, it feels the collection is like one of those albums that you’d find on late night TV, where the hits of Elvis Costello and the Attractions have been rerecorded specifically for the Spanish market.
Running to 16 tracks in a mere 49 minutes, one begins to question whether the concept may have actually outlived its usefulness. While the album has its moments, if you don’t understand Spanish, repeated listens seem to be more than a bit pointless. Elvis Costello and the Attractions deserve better than this.
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