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In chasing his muse, Elvis Costello has gone down many a genre road. Despite occasional misses, these varied excursions have proved interesting, if not classic additions to his canon. The Delivery Man — the yin to the yang of the simultaneously released classical work Il Sogno — proves he can, nearly 30 years into his career, explore roots rock with rewarding results. Despite lacking a promised cohesive narrative thread, this Southern-drenched song cycle has plenty of merit. Its loose arrangements and inspired execution recall past album-length tangents: There's cacophonous avant-garde ("Button My Lip"), gritty roadhouse ("There's a Story in Your Voice" with Lucinda Williams), Nashville legacy ("Country Darkness"), yelping punk blues ("Bedlam"), a dark and spooky character study (the title track) and heartbreak balladry ("Heart Shaped Bruise" with Emmylou Harris). Welcome, worthy and wonderful.
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