release date: Apr. 23, 2002
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]
producer: The Imposter
label: Island Records - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "45" - 2. "Spooky Girlfriend" - 3. "Tear Off Your Own Head ( It's a Doll Revolution)" - 5. "Soul for Hire" - 7. "Tart" - 10. "Alibi" - 12. "Daddy Can I Turn This?"
17th studio album by Elvis Costello released after an unusual long hiatus of six years since the predecessor All This Useless Beauty (1998), which ended up as his final album with The Attractions. The album is produced by "The Imposter" - in this case represented by Costello, Ciaran Cahill, Leo Pearson, and Kieran Lynch - and not to be confused with The Imposters, which basically is his "new" backing band trio consisting of Steve Nieve and Pete Thomas from The Attractions and new bassist Davey Faragher. In reality, Costello and long-time bassist of The Attractions, Bruce Thomas, weren't exactly on speaking terms with one another and Costello had used both keyboardist Steve Nieve and drummer Pete Thomas on other solo releases for years. During the live tour after his '96 album with The Attractions, Costello finally announced that it would be his last performances with his old backing band, and by 2001 Costello began recording sessions with his new backing band, The Imposters. Before this, he made the collaborative album For the Stars (2001) together with classical opera singer, mezzo-soprano, Anne Sophie von Otter credited 'Anne Sophie von Otter Meets Elvis Costello' and released by Deutsche Grammophon.
Musically, the album is a typical Costello studio release representing a huge blend of styles and influences. it's quite far from his '96 album and in some places sound as a fusion of his many collaborative works during the past decade with elements of rock & roll, alt. rock, jazz fusion, pop / rock and more traditional singer / songwriter material, and then there's also new styles involved when he experiments with trip hop and / or sampling as small delicate touches here and there, and ultimately, he only once again proves what a fine composer he is 'cause lyrically, he is always more than ordinarily interesting.
It's not a favourite - I simply find it too much of a fusion carpet with too many orientations.
