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Yes, indeed, Elvis has changed. He's not only been nice to TV types like David Letterman, not only bared his soul to Rolling Stone mag but, most significantly, left behind the angry young man persona that everyone fell in love with in the first place.
With this more mature, sophisticated and adventurous album, he's done his best work since Armed Forces. In many ways, it's not even a rock 'n' roll album, and narrow-minded types are even-money bets to reject it as quickly as they can push the button.
For one thing, the album is predominantly acoustic, with Costello's surprisingly wide-ranging vocals up front. Many of the songs are unabashedly melodic and simple, though repeated listenings reveal a subtle depth and complexity, especially in Steve Nieve's piano. But what may be hardest to adjust to is Costello's reliance on pre-rock pop forms, such as jazz, crooner tunes, show tunes and good old melodic stuff.
Ironically, by stepping slightly outside the definition, Costello compositions like "Town Cryer," "Beyond Belief," "Pidgin English," "Kid About It" and "Boy With A Problem" offer ultimate proof of how shallow and sappy much of what is known as soft rock really is.
Thematically, Costello deals almost exclusively with love. Often it's love that's falling apart or flash frying so quickly it's basically useless, but he does offer a good amount of hope.
The sincerity and range of feelings the album brilliantly delivers are almost extinct in music today. Lyrically, as usual, there are enough clever twists and truisms to keep any intellectual happy.
Picking a best song out of 15 is nearly impossible, though the haunting "The Long Honeymoon" and the smooth, intriguing "Man Out Of Time" certainly rate. The bouncy, '60s brass rock (without the brass) feel of "The Loved Ones," and the melodic "Human Hands" are high on the list, and top candidates for airplay, too.
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