release date: May 14, 1991
format: vinyl / cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,28]
producer: Mitchell Froom, Kevin Killen and D.P.A. MacManus
label: Warner Bros. - nationality: England, UK
13th studio album by Elvis Costello following more than 2 years after Spike is his second album for his new label, Warner Bros., and it's also his second consecutive album not to feature The Attractions, although, drummer Pete Thomas is credited as additional musician. Alledgedly, Costello had wanted to record the album with The Attractions and sent invitations to the various band members, but only received rejections as they didn't like how they would be credited. On top of that, bassist Bruce Thomas released the semi-biography "The Big Wheel", in which he portrays life in a band with a lead singer, who ends up distancing himself from the other members - ultimately, yet with no further precision or identification, describing his band life with Elvis Costello. The two musicians had been on a relational slope, but this didn't make things better. After Thomas then sent Costello a copy of the book, via a friend of a friend, Costello wrote and recorded the song "How to Be Dumb" (track #3).
The album was recorded with Costello in a strong controlling role, where he came to the studio with pre-arranged songs and a final playlist, which left little room for Froom and Killen to have their say regarding arrangements or sound. It appears (even) more complex than Spike, and Costello also employs a Phil Spector-like approach by using multiple track recordings of his lead vocal. The end result is a rather complex album filled with strings, brass and extra keyboard tracks, and it doesn't really suit his songs as they at times appear muddy and over-produced - making me recall his Goodbye Cruel World period. However, Mighty Like a Rose contains better songs, e.g. "The Other Side of Summer", "Georgie and Her Rival" and "So Like Candy", but it doesn't come without fillers or what appear as unfinished ideas.
Bottom line, it's really not one of his best, and with this I simply lost a lot of my adoration and my expectations concerning new music from Costello was at a unprecedented low.
Not recommended.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5, NME 2,5 / 5, Blender, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]
