Edinburgh Scotsman, September 10, 2004: Difference between revisions
(formatting / update index link) |
(formatting +browser / fix Faragher spelling) |
||
Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
{{Bibliography article header}} | {{Bibliography article header}} | ||
<center><h3> Elvis stages </h3></center> | <center><h3> Elvis stages </h3></center> | ||
---- | ---- | ||
<center> | <center> The Scotsman </center> | ||
---- | ---- | ||
{{ | ''' Elvis Costello & The Imposters <br> | ||
The Delivery Man <br> | |||
{{3of4stars}}<!-- "of4" is an educated guess based on tone of review--> | |||
{{Bibliography text}} | {{Bibliography text}} | ||
The Elvis renaissance continues. Any artist who is compelled to churn out work over the decades is sure to hit a dry spell at some point, and there was a time in Costello's career when it looked like his fans would be forever harking back to his late 1970s and early 80s glory days with The Attractions for succour. | The Elvis renaissance continues. Any artist who is compelled to churn out work over the decades is sure to hit a dry spell at some point, and there was a time in Costello's career when it looked like his fans would be forever harking back to his late 1970s and early 80s glory days with The Attractions for succour. | ||
Line 15: | Line 16: | ||
In recent years, however, he has been back on a roll. It seems he can't help himself, notching up collaborations with Burt Bacharach (the exquisite ''Painted From Memory''), jazz albums (last year's admittedly shakily received ''North'', inspired by his relationship with his new wife Diana Krall), a tour with trusty sidekick Steve Nieve on piano, which proved a stunning showcase for both men's talents, even his first full-length orchestral piece, ''Il Sogno'', which he premiered this summer at the Lincoln Centre Festival in New York. I cannot think of any other musician who can so deftly straddle such diverse musical genres. | In recent years, however, he has been back on a roll. It seems he can't help himself, notching up collaborations with Burt Bacharach (the exquisite ''Painted From Memory''), jazz albums (last year's admittedly shakily received ''North'', inspired by his relationship with his new wife Diana Krall), a tour with trusty sidekick Steve Nieve on piano, which proved a stunning showcase for both men's talents, even his first full-length orchestral piece, ''Il Sogno'', which he premiered this summer at the Lincoln Centre Festival in New York. I cannot think of any other musician who can so deftly straddle such diverse musical genres. | ||
A further source of his reinvigoration was the formation of his redoubtable backing band The Imposters, who number two-thirds of The Attractions — Nieve and drummer Pete Thomas — and bassist Davey | A further source of his reinvigoration was the formation of his redoubtable backing band The Imposters, who number two-thirds of The Attractions — Nieve and drummer Pete Thomas — and bassist Davey Faragher, and already feel like an intrinsic part of the Costello experience. Their debut collaboration, ''When I Was Cruel'', released two years ago, was hailed as a return to past form. Any remaining doubters should listen to ''The Delivery Man'' and witness a performer and band who have managed to preserve their instinctive relationship over time to create an album which sounds liberating when it could have been complacent. | ||
Opening track "Button My Lip," a satirical swipe at censorship in a post-9/11 world, is a renegade rock rumble in a loose jazz framework, with Costello, in bilious mood, howling ''"button my lip until I'm old enough / I'm smart enough"'' as Nieve hammers out excerpts of America from ''West Side Story''. There is nothing else with such fluency on the album, but that is not a negative. Costello has a lot of ground he plans to cover, and there is not enough space over 13 tracks to linger too long in one area. | Opening track "Button My Lip," a satirical swipe at censorship in a post-9/11 world, is a renegade rock rumble in a loose jazz framework, with Costello, in bilious mood, howling ''"button my lip until I'm old enough / I'm smart enough"'' as Nieve hammers out excerpts of America from ''West Side Story''. There is nothing else with such fluency on the album, but that is not a negative. Costello has a lot of ground he plans to cover, and there is not enough space over 13 tracks to linger too long in one area. | ||
Line 34: | Line 35: | ||
{{Bibliography notes}} | {{Bibliography notes}} | ||
{{Bibliography next | |||
|prev = Edinburgh Scotsman, May 20, 2004 | |||
|next = Edinburgh Scotsman, October 7, 2004 | |||
}} | |||
'''The Scotsman, September 10, 2004 | '''The Scotsman, September 10, 2004 | ||
---- | ---- |
Latest revision as of 17:43, 8 February 2022
|