Elvis Costello: Secret, Profane & Sugarcane - 2009

  

This is a country rock record from Elvis Costello, a bit similar to some of the material on 1986's King Of America, but far more rootsy and country-bluesy than that album, which still contained many echoes of his recent at the time work with The Attractions. There are no such throwbacks on this one. It is probably the rootsiest album he had recorded thus far. 

Kicking off is the lively country blues of Down Among The Wine And Spirits then, funnily enough, we get a cover of a 1996 Attractions number, from All this Useless Beauty, Complicated Shadows, but done in an acoustic style. 

I Felt The Chill Before The Winter Came is a mournful, folky lament backed by a solid bass and evocative fiddle. My All Time Doll is a folk ballad reminiscent of some of the material on Spike. It has some really haunting fiddle at the end. Hidden Shame brings to mind The People's Limousine and Glitter Gulch from King Of America, in its jaunty countriness. 

She Handed Me A Mirror is a stark, evocative ballad, as indeed are I Dreamed Of My Old Lover and How Deep Is The Red. The latter are more intricate, musically, but all three are slow-paced numbers. She Was No Good is a muscular, powerful, but starkly backed folk ballad. The pace of the album has become very sombre and reflective by now. The bluesy and vaguely jazzy Sulphur And Sugarcane lifts the mood somewhat, with a rich, bassy swing and good-time feel. This is a most catchy track, one of my favourites on here. 

Red Cotton is a tale of seafaring, trading out of the port of Liverpool and so on, sung over a folky banjo. An upbeat sound arrives with the Cajun strains of The Crooked Line. Another good one. The solemn Changing Partners ends the album with a yearning, heartfelt country song. 

This is an unusual, rootsy country album but its tone is a little too mournful throughout, which is unusual for Costello albums, as he normally ups the pace more than just a few times in thirteen songs. If you are in a quiet mood, however, it does the trick.     

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