MorganReviewed in the United States on November 21, 2024
Love this new album. Revisited Elvis after watching his performance on the Stephen Colbert Report with T Bone Burnett. Watch the performances on youtube as well..
Lee ArmstrongReviewed in the United States on November 20, 2024
One should start a review with the positives about it. For this release, Drew Christie did an amazing job with the handsome illustrations. The release looks and great, and its packaging is first class. Henry Coward who is also known as J Henry Burnett and best known as T-Bone Burnett does the vocals on the only track that warrants repeated listening, "Bygones," a sad folksy lament. Howard Coward who is best known as Elvis Costello has a long and impressive career with wonderful collaborations such as the one with Burt Bacharach. I was hoping this project would be of that caliber. It's not. These guys sound tired. The songwriting can be seen as mildly interesting with its historical references. I teach a college class and was surprised that none of my 18 to 20-year-old students had never heard of American president Lyndon Johnson, so the irony of the track (I Don't Want Your) Lyndon Johnson is obscure for new listeners. They wind up the disc with "Clown Around Town" where the guys sing out of tune. This is a disc of two talented performers messing around on what would better have been unreleased tunes. I feel sorry for New West Records who are saddled with this disaster. Taxi!
Andy BarrettReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 20, 2024
It took me a few plays to hook into this new album, with it's strange production styles that presumably are connected to the idea of recordings being made from across the years, but now I'm there I've been playing it a lot. If you imagine it as the third in a trilogy (after Secret, Profane and Sugarcane and National Ransom) only a little scuffed up with a focus on rock and roll riffs (with tongue in cheek lyrics) then maybe its your thing. There are also a number of really lovely songs and I'll be interested to see what kind of critical reception it gets - amazed there's nothing out there so far. Costello is one of the best songwriters in the U.K. (and U.S.) of the last 50 years, and there's enough on this to consolidate that position.
MorganReviewed in the United States on November 21, 2024
Love this new album. Revisited Elvis after watching his performance on the Stephen Colbert Report with T Bone Burnett. Watch the performances on youtube as well..
Lee ArmstrongReviewed in the United States on November 20, 2024
One should start a review with the positives about it. For this release, Drew Christie did an amazing job with the handsome illustrations. The release looks and great, and its packaging is first class. Henry Coward who is also known as J Henry Burnett and best known as T-Bone Burnett does the vocals on the only track that warrants repeated listening, "Bygones," a sad folksy lament. Howard Coward who is best known as Elvis Costello has a long and impressive career with wonderful collaborations such as the one with Burt Bacharach. I was hoping this project would be of that caliber. It's not. These guys sound tired. The songwriting can be seen as mildly interesting with its historical references. I teach a college class and was surprised that none of my 18 to 20-year-old students had never heard of American president Lyndon Johnson, so the irony of the track (I Don't Want Your) Lyndon Johnson is obscure for new listeners. They wind up the disc with "Clown Around Town" where the guys sing out of tune. This is a disc of two talented performers messing around on what would better have been unreleased tunes. I feel sorry for New West Records who are saddled with this disaster. Taxi!
Andy BarrettReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 20, 2024
It took me a few plays to hook into this new album, with it's strange production styles that presumably are connected to the idea of recordings being made from across the years, but now I'm there I've been playing it a lot. If you imagine it as the third in a trilogy (after Secret, Profane and Sugarcane and National Ransom) only a little scuffed up with a focus on rock and roll riffs (with tongue in cheek lyrics) then maybe its your thing. There are also a number of really lovely songs and I'll be interested to see what kind of critical reception it gets - amazed there's nothing out there so far. Costello is one of the best songwriters in the U.K. (and U.S.) of the last 50 years, and there's enough on this to consolidate that position.