Review, Sort Of, New York Post
COSTELLO STEERS TO TRUE 'NORTH'
By DAN AQUILANTE
Excerpts:
...'ELVIS Costello's new album, "North," released yesterday, is an affected nostalgia record that hits the musical retro rockets so hard, the guy lands somewhere in the '30s
..."While the program was uniformly slow, Costello's emotive delivery and physical showmanship kept the concert from becoming a yawn fest.
..."The night was hardly perfect. Many of the in- and out-of-love songs sounded alike under the influence of Nieve's stark piano work. That sameness was a constant, from Costello's musical history lesson, "45," with which he opened the concert, to his autumn love song, "Fallen." Where he broke the stylistic pattern was with the concert showstopper "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding," played with fond memories for the old new wave.
FULL TEXT
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September 24, 2003 -- ELVIS Costello's new album,
"North," released yesterday, is an affected nostalgia
record that hits the musical retro rockets so hard,
the guy lands somewhere in the '30s, when tunes were
powered with sentimental sophistication.
That's right - it ain't rock 'n' roll.
So when the Irish songwriter celebrated the release of
that disc Monday with a gig at Town Hall featuring
most of those new songs, there was as much trepidation
as anticipation in the air.
But there was no need for worry. Costello and his ex-Attractions bandmate pianist Steve Nieve were very good at making the blue, moody, very old-fashioned love songs come to life.
While the program was uniformly slow, Costello's
emotive delivery and physical showmanship kept the
concert from becoming a yawn fest.
Though the merits of these new songs should be
apparent on the CD, they aren't. Take the tune "Let Me
Tell You About Her."
On the disc, it's easy to overlook Costello's clever
writing when he croons the urbane couplet, "I wasn't
very conversational, except to say, 'You're
sensational.' Friends now regard me with indulgent
smiles, but when I sing, they run for miles."
But in concert, with a little hand jive and his
expressive rubber face, these lyrics got smiles and
out-loud laughs.
That happened again and again during the show.
In the song "North," Costello was the master of the
interior rhyme, creating whimsical lyrics such as, "Up
where the polar bear and moose and geese will play,
and some of them address you en Francais," was
terrific during his stage delivery - yet the Looney
Toons humor remains undetectable on the studio record.
The night was hardly perfect. Many of the in- and
out-of-love songs sounded alike under the influence of
Nieve's stark piano work.
That sameness was a constant, from Costello's musical
history lesson, "45," with which he opened the
concert, to his autumn love song, "Fallen."
Where he broke the stylistic pattern was with the
concert showstopper "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace,
Love and Understanding," played with fond memories for
the old new wave.