Review: Heat Magazine (UK)
ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE IMPOSTERS
The Delivery Man (LOST HGHWAY)
IN A NUTSHELL:
Britain’s greatest living singer/songwriter is now 50 years old and this is his 21st studio album. He’s made records with a string quartet, a full orchestra and easy listening legend Burt Bacharach. But can he still knock out a classic rock song?
WHAT’S IT LIKE? Oozing with the feel of a smokey bar in the Deep South, this is a superbly cinematic and atmospheric album. Many of the tunes have a whiff of country or blues, yet in the end it’s a classic Costello rock record. Highlights include the brilliant rant Bedlam and three gorgeous duets with country legend Emmylou Harris.
HOW MANY GOOD TRACKS? Eleven, out of 12.
BEST TRACK: The deliciously dark and epic title track is an immediate classic.
WORST TRACK: The rather wearisome blues of Needle Time.
VERDICT: He may be an old geezer but on this spunky form Elvis sounds every bit as raw, fresh and inspired as youngsters like The White Stripes and The Libertines.
(Submitted by John Foyle)