Elvis Costello & The Imposters: The Boy Named If - 2022

 

Like Van Morrison and Paul McCartney, the now ageing Elvis is still putting 'em out every couple of years (often more frequently than that). 

While there is a definite change in sound on this offering to its predecessor, we are still getting eminently recognisable stuff here, both musically and lyrically. Not that there's anything wrong with that, actually. Reviewers can dust off their use of "acerbic" once more (along with their "return to form" quotes too). 

Kicking off with the buzzy, guitar-driven rock of the typically Attractions-ish Farewell, OK, the album gives us mainly muscular Costello-rock of the kind found on Brutal Youth, Kojak Variety and The Delivery Man. 

There is lots of swirling organ (no surprise there) and lovely deep, throbbing bass lines, perfectly exemplified by catchy but moody tracks such as the excellent The Difference, Magnificent Hurt and Penelope Halfpenny. Typical Costello thirties/forties-style torch ballads are here too in the presence of the lovely, evocative Paint The Red Rose Blue and Mr. Crescent. The gritty What If I Can't Give You Anything But Love? lyrically revisits an old song that I, infuriatingly, can't put my finger on at the moment. 

Mistook Me For A Friend rocks in true Attractions fashion, Steve Nieve's organ bleeping and parping away in time-honoured style. Pete Thomas's thumping drums bring to mind Lipstick Vogue from all those years ago too, as does his work on the Madness-ish Death Of Magic Thinking. Other highlights are the Spike era-esque The Man You Love To Hate and the rumblingly appealing My Most Beautiful Mistake. 

Indeed, there is nothing bad on the album at all. Costello albums, like Morrison ones, are like bottles of mature wine. Cherish them.

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