CostelloNews.com

Uncut , July '06

ELVIS COSTELLO AND ALLEN TOUSSAINT
The River In Reverse
VERVE FORECAST

4 Stars

AFTER HIS BALLET AND BIG-BAND PROJECTS, THE IMPOSTER TURNS TO N’AWLINZ R&B, WITH MUCH BETTER RESULTS

By far the most appealing of Elvis Costello’s recent batch of spin-off projects, The River In Reverse came about as a result of his and Allen Toussaint’s involvement in Hurricane Katrina benefit concerts in New York.
Understandably, the disaster underpins some of the songs here, most notably the title track and “Broken Promise Land”, both of which are imbued with bitterness about how, but for aha’porth of tar, the floods could have been avoided.

Steve Nieve’s burring Hammond organ and Tonssaint’s horns mark the rumbustious verses, before the sad chorus brings their enthusiasm up short, like voters suddenly disabused of illusions about leaders whose concerns are more, “How high shall we build this wall?/How tight can we shut that door?”

Built on a similar rhythm chassis to Toussaint’s classic “Hercules”, “The River In Reverse” likewise takes a jaundiced view of the affair:
“Wake my up with a slap or a kiss /There must be something better than this/'cos I don’t see how it can get much worse/What can we do to send the river in reverse?” The river, of course, being not just the Mississippi, but a metaphor for the rightward drift of American politics.

It’s not all flood-related gloom here, though. There are seven choice items from the Toussaint songbook given a fresh make over, including the uplifting civil rights anthem “Freedom For The Stallion”, the gospel-styled “ Nearer To You” and the classic “On The Way Down”. With Toussaint leading the crack band of Attractions and New Orleans session men from the piano, Costello takes lead vocals on most tracks, singing with the enthusiasm and fun of a true fan. The exception is the rolling funk groove “Who’s Gonna Help Brother”, whereToussaint brings an assured momentum to the hook:”What happened to the Liberty Bell? /Did it ding-dong? /It didn’t ding long.”

The highlight in probably “International Echo”, a new co-written track about the liberating effect of rock’n’roll on kids thousands of miles distant, with characteristic Toussaint piano flourishes and horn figures, and a message worth sending:
“Thought I heard a signal coming through/In a language that I never knew/ I felt the pulse in a drum tattoo/Even though I knew it was taboo.” Me too, and you, I’d warrant.
Andy Gill

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Q, July '06

ELVIS COSTELLO AND ALLEN TOUSSAINT
The River In Reverse
VERVE FORECAST

4 Stars

National treasure meets New Orleans soul legend.

A proper collaborative effort (five co-written tracks, seven from Toussaint’s rich back catalogue, one Solo effort from Costello), The River In Reverse’s soulful arrangements and warm textures are no surprise. So much so that they paper over the cracks in Costello’s vocal range, bringing out his best croon, particularly on the funeral march of The Sharpest Thorn, the jumping Tears, Tears And More Tears and the title track, a tense, driven piece of controlled anger. Whole theses could be written about the influence of, and influences on, these men. Or you could just listen to this album and hear them all for yourself.

ANDY FYFE

Mat Snow
Friday June 2, 2006

The Guardian

Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint, The River in Reverse

Though New Orleans R&B traditionally has a wiggle in its walk, here its good humour is tempered by a smouldering sense of grievance, for obvious reasons. But first, a technical note: this album is best heard through audio equipment tweaked to suppress the excesses of Elvis Costello's strained bleat. Can't he hear that his singing is not what it was? Unadjusted, it's the elephant in the room of a very fine album, in which the genre-hopper teams up with veteran New Orleans songsmith, producer and pianist extraordinaire Allen Toussaint. Together they perform songs Toussaint penned for Lee Dorsey, Art Neville and Betty Harris, five new co-written numbers and one Costello original, The River in Reverse, which indicts the human disaster behind Hurricane Katrina's natural disaster with characteristically bitter wordplay. It's angry yet affectionate, insinuatingly melodic and solidly in that horn-marinated Big Easy groove. If only the Costello of 1980 was still around to sing it.

Los Angeles Daily News, CA

ELVIS COSTELLO & ALLEN TOUSSAINT: "The River In Reverse"

By Fred Shuster, Music Writer
U-Entertainment
(Verve Forecast)

Falling in love with each Costello album of the last few years is exhausting. But like his last two — "My Flame Burns Blue" and "The Delivery Man" — this one's no weekend fling. In stirring collaboration with New Orleans' r&b singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist and producer Toussaint, Costello is at full strength in this bountiful, well-crafted set of syncopated soul with dark undercurrents.

Along with well-chosen Toussaint gems — "On Your Way Down" (memorably covered in elegant funk-gospel fashion by Little Feat in the early 70s), the gorgeous "Freedom for the Stallion" and an uplifting "Tears, Tears and More Tears" — the album illustrates the fruits of a songwriting partnership made in r&b heaven and recorded in Katrina-ravaged New Orleans.

Among the best of it is Toussaint's beautiful minor key variation of Professor Longhair's "Tipitina," titled "Ascension Day," with touching lyrics by Costello. Another collaborative piece bearing repeated listenings is the lacerating "The Sharpest Thorn," which brings to mind a "This Year's Model"-era Elvis.

Toussaint's signature horn arrangements — think of the Band's "Life Is a Carnival" — add distinctive punch, while a crack studio band clearly favoring feel over frozen perfection reaches near-telepathic levels.

The Daily Telegraph , June 3 '06

Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint
The River In Reverse
Verve Forecast, £12.99

In another story of the musical aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, 68-year-old New Orleans songwriting legend Allen Toussaint washed up in New York, where he fell in with the comparatively sprightly 51-year-old Elvis Costello.

The two performed at some benefit concerts, whereupon the irrepressibly enthusiastic and possibly workaholic Costello (this is his second album this year) thought it was about time someone recorded a Toussaint songbook, and it might as well be him. Backed by a classy band (Costello's Imposters, supplemented by a horn section under Toussaint's direction), they have created a rich, warm, live-sounding concoction that is more than mere tribute. If these are hardly the definitive versions - Costello's sometimes rough, overwrought vocals sitting uneasily with Toussaint's light, funky touch - the album takes flight on a clutch of soulful originals, on which two great songwriters tackle the aftermath of disaster, coming on like punk soul brothers.

Anger and disgust are among Costello's strongest emotional suits, and threatening horns drive him along as he sneers at political betrayal on Broken Promise Land, while Toussaint's delicate piano underpins the hopeless bafflement of Ascension Day.

Neil McCormick

Los Angeles Times , June 3 '06

RECORD RACK
Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint
"The River in Reverse"
(Verve)

June 4, 2006

This transatlantic reunion of the British rocker-cum-man of all musical milieus with Toussaint, one of the deans of New Orleans pop and R&B, has a remarkably timely — and relevant — feel considering several of the tunes are 10 to 20 years old or older.

Costello and songwriter-pianist-arranger Toussaint met when the former recorded parts of his 1989 album "Spike" with Crescent City musicians. Their new collaboration came together in the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastating ride through Louisiana, and not surprisingly, the album hits hardest in those numbers that take on the broad sweep of a cry for social and political justice.

The opening cut, "On Your Way Down," is anchored in the golden rule as it applies to interpersonal relationships, yet also targets the subject of life's haves versus its have-nots: "You think the sun rises and sets for you / But the same sun rises, sets and shines on the poor folks too."

Toussaint's gently funky "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further" similarly decries the imbalanced scales of society, while Costello takes his best shot at the powers on high in the title tune. His signature acidic touch emerges in this tale of looming danger: "Count your blessings when they ask permission / To govern with money and superstition."

The undercurrent of anger is balanced in several gospel-tinged numbers, notably "Nearer to You," a waltzing declaration of romantic connection that becomes a fervent spiritual plea in this pair's passionate hands.

Joe Henry's production work is stoutly muscular, full of beefy New Orleans horn backing and Toussaint's deliciously fluid piano work and, on occasion, his honey-soaked singing. It's all draped in a muted sonic cloth that manifests the pervading idea of darkness descending on the land.

In the album's central conundrum, Costello sings, "What do we have to do to send the river in reverse?" This time, there's no answer conveniently blowing in the wind. Costello and Toussaint play the Playboy Jazz Festival on June 18 at the Hollywood Bowl.
-- Randy Lewis

Billboard , June 3 '06

The River in Reverse
ELVIS COSTELLO & ALLEN TOUSSAINT
Release Date: June 06, 2006
Producer(s): Joe Henry
Genre: POP
Label: Verve Forecast

Though Costello's band the Imposters are the entirely capable rhythm section (and Steve Nieve the standout second keyboardist), the dominant sound on "The River in Reverse" is the familiar sophisticated strut of Toussaint's elegant piano fillips and filigrees. There are five new Costello/Toussaint compositions here, seven wonderful, mostly obscure Toussaint tunes and Costello's artful, aching title song. Toussaint, who was unfamiliar with Costello before their meeting, may have arched an eyebrow at cleverly enigmatic lyrics like those to "Six-Fingered Man" ("playing a seven-string guitar"). Among the co-writes, "Ascension Day" is a smart minor key update of Professor Longhair's "Tipitina," while "International Echo" is a jazzy variation on the classic "Sea Cruise" bounce. Costello's vocal range is challenged like never before, but his phrasing is always on the money, and Joe Henry's production makes it all sound so natural. —Wayne Robins

The Sunday Times June 04, 2006

Pop CD of the Week:

Elvis Costello/Allen Toussaint: The River in Reverse
MARK EDWARDS

ELVIS COSTELLO/ALLEN TOUSSAINT
The River in Reverse
Verve 9856057

Anyone whose relationship with Elvis Costello stretches back to 1980’s Get Happy!! will realise that while many of the man’s collaborations stretch his talents, this one capitalises on them. His band mesh easily with Toussaint’s horn section (and you don’t have to be a muso to relish the thought of Toussaint on piano combining with Steve Nieve on Hammond organ), while Costello adds bite and bile that are entirely appropriate on an album recorded, in part, in New Orleans, just four months after Hurricane Katrina. The original idea — Costello singing the Toussaint songbook — quickly mutated, and what we have here is a mixture of back-catalogue gems with new co-written songs. New and old merge as readily as the two sets of musicians. The angry swell of the co-written Six-Fingered Man sits nicely next to the easy funk of Who’s Gonna Help Brother Get Further — originally written by Toussaint for Lee Dorsey. As with several others, it takes on a new relevance in a post-Katrina world. Four stars

All Music Guide

Elvis Costello/Allen Toussaint
Rating
4.5 Stars
River in Reverse

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

It's impossible to consider The River in Reverse without taking the devastation Hurricane Katrina wreaked upon New Orleans into account. Indeed, it's quite likely that this collaboration between Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint would not even have occurred if it weren't for that cataclysmic event. They've collaborated before -- Toussaint wrote horn charts for Costello's 1989 album Spike -- but neither had plans to work together until they appeared together at a September 2005 Madison Square Garden benefit concert for the victims of Katrina. That kick-started the album that became The River in Reverse. Initially, the plan was for the collaboration to be a songbook album, with Costello and Toussaint performing some highlights from Allen's rich songbook, and while the record bears some remnants of that blueprint -- seven of its 13 songs were written by Toussaint in the '60s and '70s -- the finished work evolved into an elegant, eloquent protest album crafted out of old songs and new. Costello alone wrote the title track, premiering at that benefit concert, and its angry account of the flood that wrecked New Orleans provides a touchstone for the other five new songs here, all co-written with Toussaint. "Broken Promise Land," "Ascension Day," and "International Echo" explore the aftermath of Katrina, while "Six-Fingered Man" is a funny acerbic take on a sinful sloth who is "always the first to blow his horn/His achievements multiply/Pity half of them seem to be lies." Toussaint's presence on these five songs tempers but doesn't dilute the churning anger that roils underneath The River in Reverse: "Broken Promise Land" drives along on a swampy funk rhythm, the spare and laid-back "Ascension Day" is a showcase for Allen's piano, "International Echo" revives the rolling spirit of classic New Orleans R&B, while "Six Finger Man" has a grinding, gritty blues backbeat. All five of these new songs are genuine collaborations, bearing the unmistakable stamp of both highly distinctive musicians, but the best compliment that can be paid to them is that they blend seamlessly with the classic Toussaint songs that comprise the rest of the record. When placed next to explicit songs of protest like "Broken Promise Land," such New Orleans R&B and soul staples as "On Your Way Down," "Tears, Tears and More Tears," "Freedom for the Stallion," and especially "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further" with its chorus of "What happen to the Liberty Bell I heard so much about?/Did it really ding-dong?/It must have dinged wrong/It didn't ding wrong" take on an entirely different, politically charged meaning.

This undercurrent of protest gives The River in Reverse thematic cohesion -- and as politically minded pop goes, it trumps such other 2006 albums as Neil Young's Living with War, if only because it isn't so heavy-handed about its intentions -- but what makes the album rather extraordinary is that it's as much celebration as it is protest. There is joy and tenderness within the performances of Toussaint, Costello, his backing band the Imposters, and Toussaint mainstays the Crescent City Horns, all captured by Joe Henry's clean yet warm production. If Costello pushes his phrasing a little harder than most interpreters of Toussaint -- not only does Allen himself have an easy, casual delivery, but so did such singers as Lee Dorsey, Aaron Neville, Ernie K-Doe, and Lowell George -- it suits the spirit of when the album was recorded, and Elvis is balanced about by the earthy, natural sound of the band, and Allen's graceful harmonies. As pure music, this is impossible not to enjoy, and this rich blend of R&B, blues, soul, and funk illustrates exactly how important New Orleans is to America's culture, and that it needs to be embraced in the wake of the disaster of Hurricane Katrina. Ultimately, the greatest achievement of The River in Reverse is that it, like the music of New Orleans itself, can not be pigeonholed or reduced to one specific thing. It can seem like a party, or it can seem like a bittersweet elegy, which is only appropriate for an album borne out of tragedy but created as a celebration.

THE NEW YORK TIMES
June 5, 2006

Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint
"The River in Reverse"
(Verve Forecast)

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina brought sorrow, shock, anger, nostalgia and a cultural tenacity disguised as party spirit to New Orleans. They all run together on "The River in Reverse."

After the storm, Elvis Costello shared benefit-concert stages with Allen Toussaint, the sage New Orleans songwriter, pianist and singer who had worked with Mr. Costello in 1983 and in 1989. Late in 2005, they collaborated for two weeks in Hollywood and New Orleans to record this album: writing together, remaking songs by Mr. Toussaint and meshing Mr. Costello's band, the Imposters, with Mr. Toussaint's Crescent City Horns.

It's Mr. Costello's project. He sings nearly all the lead vocals and provides the new lyrics. But Mr. Toussaint's florid yet precise New Orleans piano, the way he can make a horn section laugh or sigh, and the stubborn idealism and canny humor of his songs temper Mr. Costello's convoluted earnestness. True to New Orleans attitude, the album starts out accusatory and ends up having a good time.

New songs on "The River in Reverse," are filled with images of destruction and loss, but they are parables and personalized hymns, not chronicles. In the title song, a disaster — "They're chasing shadows in the dark and counting widows" — leads to bitter reflections on 21st-century America. For "Ascension Day," Mr. Toussaint transposed a rollicking New Orleans standard, Professor Longhair's "Tipitina," into a pensive minor key, while Mr. Costello's words contemplate desolation and a chance to return. In "Broken Promise Land," Mr. Toussaint's pumping horns answered by Mr. Costello's shivering tremolo guitar make the anger start to strut. And the album doesn't stay downhearted. Mr. Costello and Mr. Toussaint also wrote songs rooted in New Orleans R&B and jovially celebrating music, "International Echo" and "Six-Fingered Man."

Still, Mr. Toussaint's old songs are a hard act to follow. There are devoted love songs like "Nearer to You," and philosophical songs written in other troubled times — "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?" (with Mr. Toussaint singing lead) and "Freedom for the Stallion" — that hit home again. The New Orleans transmutation of trouble into revelry is most complete in "Tears, Tears and More Tears." Its mambo-funk beat is utterly danceable, though it's topped with jagged splinters of piano. And now, what had been a lonely lover's plaint becomes a plea for all the city's exiles: "Baby won't you please come home?" JON PARELES