 "A MASTERPIECE!" | 2007-10-07 |
| - Reviewed By popsaben |
Don't expect Pump It Again or Radio Radio from this mature man in love. While McCartney is still writing silly love songs (which I love) Costello is writing musically sophisticated songs reflecting his growth as an artist and as a man.
Some of this is tough stuff - it's beautiful, but requires multiple listenings. That's OK - it's worth it. Sophisticated arrangements of complex tunes - don't expect verse verse bridge here - it's simply gorgeous stuff. Songs to listen to late at night with candlelight and a glass of wine, with your beloved's head in your lap.
Diana Krall was the best thing to ever happen to Elvis. Judging from the depth of this material, I'm sure he'd agree. |
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 "Mood music" | 2006-09-30 |
| - Reviewed By jpcii |
I've always admired Costello's willingness to pursue all types of music. His refusal to be pigeon-holed has led him to create an incredible variety of music. NORTH is another example of this pursuit; while not always successful, it has elements of excellence that make it well worth a listen.
Imagine your sitting in a smoky dimly lit club and out comes this bespectacled singer, he starts to croon with some slow jazz backing him, his vocals straining a bit to hit the notes but never quite missing them. The tunes have an aimless meandering quality that belies the vocals and you can easily be led from one tune to the next without noting the transition. While this gives the sound cohesiveness, it also interferes with your enjoyment of the individual pieces as they all sound a bit too repetitive. It works as background but this is not really where Costello belongs. I love the experimentation, but in this case I only like the result.
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 "MacIntosh In The Rain" | 2005-05-16 |
| - Reviewed By poorhenry1 |
Look, you suffered through the "Country" album. The "classical". The inevitable "covers" record. More than a few "concepts". You knew it was coming. Say hello to the "Jazz" record.
Though, cynically loathed as the "Diana Krall" album, that's a bit unfair really. He's obviously going for the hushed, after-hours moods of Billie Holliday & Chet Baker here. And this isn't the first time he's tipped his hat to Messrs. Porter & Gershwin.
True, the nostalgia factor here is a bit precious & contrived. The sombre, smokey Jazz club atmosphere is pervasive. Since all the songs are in the same mood, it's easy for them to go in one ear & out the other. Costello's never been known for his subtlety or restraint. It's not really what his fans want to hear from him. But he seems to be going for that, at the expense of going over everyone's heads.
Call it irony or self-pity, but Costello's cast himself as some chronically lost ex-pat, shuffling through the perpetual Gloomy Sunday of Post-War Paris. It's all falling leaves of doubt, rainy afternoons & wilted roses.
If NORTH has one thing going for it, it's Costello's best singing in years. In the past, Costello increasingly seemed to have been pushing the boundries of his range. Sometimes to painful effect. Forgive me for saying this, but some of his singing on JULIET LETTERS sounds like a pig being roasted alive on a spit. But as evidenced on the likes of "Shipbuilding" & "Almost Blue", he can sound pretty suave when he favors a more amicable, lower key. Which is what he does here.
Furthermore, given a real listen, the songwriting is far from shabby. "You Left Me In The Dark" begins with the absent last words of a crumbling relationship. "I'm In The Mood Again" closes the album with the uncertainty of a new one just begining.
Possibly the most striking song is "You Turned To Me". The sound of someone falling prey to that irrevocable spell of temptation, agonizing on the verge. Close on the heels, is "Fallen", a more-than-resigned number about falling in love(sigh)yet again.
I've been a fan for longer than I care to relate, but since BLOOD & CHOCOLATE, I always kind of thought he was stabbing around in the dark. Hitting the mark as much as missing it. Not quite living up to those famous words laid down in "Alison".
I'm not saying this is a great album, but it's certainly far less annoying than PAINTED FROM MEMORY. It just seems these days, Costello's bent on challenging his weaknesses as opposed to exploiting his strengths. Something he used to do quite well.
At the very least it's a total about face from WHEN I WAS CRUEL's return to form. |
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| "The unthinkable: Elvis Costello drunk with love!" | 2005-03-04 |
| - Reviewed By openears |
Throughout his career, Elvis Costello has made his reputation on changing his music styles with the days of the week. Even the angry punk he had made his name on & with which he became an unofficial member of the movement was just one facet of his identity, for shortly afterwards, he dabbled in soul (1980's GET HAPPY!!), country (1981's ALMOST BLUE), baroque pop (1982's IMPERIAL BEDROOM), and even classical (1993's THE JULIET LETTERS). The latter has proven to be more than just an ordinary flirtation, for even while THE JULIET LETTERS album with the Brodsky String Quartet may have been a very obviously self-conscious affair, Elvis returned to the genre three times more, recording an album with opera singer Anne Sofie Von Otter (2001's FOR THE STARS) & then recording his first full-fledged classical work (i.e. not still having his lyrical talents to fall back on) with IL SOGNO (2004). In between those two, Elvis recorded a unique jazz-pop hybrid (although it is released on Deutsche Grammophon, the label for his classical material) with 2003's NORTH.
One of the things that makes NORTH Elvis' best classical-based work is the story behind its creation. After the divorce from his second wife Caitlin O'Riordan, Elvis met jazz singer Diana Krall (who my mother is quite a fan of). Supposedly, it was love at first sight, and by the time Elvis began work on NORTH (less than a year after 2002's artistic renewal WHEN I WAS CRUEL), the two were engaged. For someone as legendarily misanthropic in his music like Elvis Costello, the idea of him getting all lovey-dovey may be a frightening one. Just maybe finding the love of his life has Elvis wishing to sing rainbows, and while occasionally his lyrics will still retain a sense of didacticism, there is no secret about what each of the 11 songs are about.
Of course, not every song on NORTH is completely dedicated to his new love. Some songs like "You Left Me In The Dark" could easily be about the demise of Elvis' second marriage with him wondering just how things went wrong. Rather than laying the blame at his ex-wife's door, Elvis accuses himself: "Nothing I do can make you stay/I'm glad it will rain today". "Fallen" also finds Elvis with a heart of despair over messing up a good relationship with its autumnal music & especially in its lyrics full of browns, ambers & burnished golds. Where the orchestral arrangements could have gotten over-the-top (and on "Can You Be True?", it comes quite close to that), they are actually much more subtle than expected, which was something THE JULIET LETTERS did not have enough of.
Those are the only two songs on NORTH that find Elvis in a dark mood matching the blackness of the cover art. The rest clearly have him celebrating his newfound romance & darned be the results. "Still" is perhaps the most romantic Elvis has ever gotten in his music, especially with the opening verse. Elvis still does not have his head too high in the clouds, though, if the last verse is any indication: "I want to kiss you in a rush/and whisper things to make you blush/and you say, "Darling, hush".
"Let Me Tell You About Her" certainly indicates Elvis' wish to tell the world about his new love, whether or not they care to listen. Elvis' lyrics have often been compared to Cole Porter, and maybe he is aware of that with the reference to Cole's classic song "You're Sensational". "Someone Took The Words Away" works in a similar fashion, demonstrating how Elvis is at a loss for words upon seeing his new love for the first time, as does "When Did I Stop Dreaming?". These three songs are the ones that contain the trademark Costello wit, only this time being used for good rather than criticism.
"You Turned To Me" has Elvis wondering if he could all be dreaming these amorous feelings, and if his new woman does in fact consider him her new addiction. One song that does not have an orchestra of any kind on it, the simple bass & piano accompaniment still manages to sound as full as it needs to be. "Can You Be True?" has Elvis inquiring whether his new love will be as faithful to him as he will be to her. Elvis again shows no shame in being love poet extraordinaire, as he does on the more positive outlook of "When It Sings", but that just indicates the former angry young man of MY AIM IS TRUE (1977) & THIS YEAR'S MODEL (1978) has done a lot of growing up since those acid-drenched masterpieces. When you hear the devotional lyrics to a song like "When Green Eyes Turn Blue", it is apparent that Elvis has learned when to put the verbal daggers away if necessary.
The love letter that is NORTH closes out in utter bliss on "I'm In The Mood Again", with Elvis creating a reverent ode to love in the big city, one you could hear emanating from a club after midnight in New York City. With just a piano (played by Elvis himself, whereas the keyboard playing mostly rested upon old Attractions member Steve Nieve) & a vibraphone as accompaniment, that is all the song needs to show that Elvis Costello is ready to give love a chance, and just maybe the third time is the charm. After experiencing some 40 straight minutes of unabashed romantic celebration, one can not help but hope that turns out to be true.
While NORTH may not be as overtly classical as THE JULIET LETTERS or even IL SOGNO, that in fact is what makes it work so well. With THE JULIET LETTERS having been more a pastiche of a string quartet sound rather than a tried-and-true experiment with it, NORTH's more understated use of a classical sound, and concentrating more on the jazzier elements of the music therein (sounding like the theme albums that Frank Sinatra had created so successfully in the '50s & '60s, only this time, Elvis is taking a crack at writing standards as well as singing them), makes it one much easier to enjoy for what it is, and not what it should have been. The music of his future wife perhaps had a profound effect on Elvis' own work, and he would even collaborate with Diana Krall for the original songs on her then-upcoming THE GIRL IN THE OTHER ROOM album. Those who come into NORTH expecting just another genre experiment will be much surprised to see Elvis thrive in yet another style of music one would think he had no business even attempting. |
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| "beautiful" | 2004-12-17 |
| - Reviewed By User: A13BMHJHKGHRAD |
| Wow! I can't believe some people actually don't like this album. Sure it is different, but that's what makes it special. It's soothing, relaxing, and brooding. Elvis' voice is SO good on here and conveys so much emotion. His songwriting really shines on here, as well. Give it a chance! |
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 "Snoozefest." | 2004-08-24 |
| - Reviewed By nytyper |
| As a big fan of Elvis, and someone who forgives (and enjoys) many of his musical indulgences, I have to give this one the thumbs down. Every song has pretty much the same instrumentation, tempo and key. There's no playfulness or cleverness to be found anywhere. It just gets repetitive after the second song. |
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| "Boring, Bland and Unpalatable" | 2004-07-14 |
| - Reviewed By gusthegoldfish |
Elvis Costello has been experimenting with a variety of different styles lately, and some are bound to succeed better than others -- they can't all be genius. This is one of his least successful ventures in many years.
The songs are essentially tuneless, which might not be bad if they were handled by an extemely talented jazz singer, but EC simply doesn't have the voice to carry the songs on his own.
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| "Perfectamundo!!!" | 2004-04-14 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
| This is my first Elvis Costello CD and I guarantee it will not be my last. That haunting voice, the strings - indeed, the entire accompaniment - the words and emotions....it all comes out in NORTH. These arrangements are near the top - a male Linda Ronstadt one might say. The surprise is that every single track is as good as the previous one unlike others of this ilk wherein one is lucky to get 3 or 4 on an entire recording. A gifted artist and a near perfect production. |
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| "Best yet but you need to be older to appreciate it" | 2003-12-04 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
After quite a few listens I was still thinking it was bland, easy listening.... but I persevered because it is Elvis after all. And then you realise how deceptively brilliant it is. Straightforward yet clever, poetic lyrics. Music that's sophisticated but not too intricate. But best of all - the vocals. Not strained at all, just perfect. One doesn't have to apologise to non Costello fans for the voice on this CD. All in all mesmerising and if other great singers don't start to record some of these tracks I won't believe it. There are a number of absolute standards.
Makes me wish he could re-record 'Painted From Memory,' using the same voice as on 'North' because that was the only CD of his which had better written songs than on 'North'-but it was let down by the strained vocals.
Anyway to wrap up this review-Just keep listening and you will see how good it is.
"I fear my heart may spin and fracture like tears of stone falling from a statue." |
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 "Elvis in Love" | 2003-11-21 |
| - Reviewed By jmd477 |
This latest work from a man who is undoubtedly one of the premiere singer songwriters of the last quarter-century makes me think of the 1987 film "Ishtar" and Communism- two things, which, on paper should have worked and seemed to make some sense, ended up just being clumsy, misguided and shameless.
Most know Elvis as an angry singer/songwriter who can write one hell of a guitar driven, angst-ridden, ironic song. He's not always known for his ballads (with a few exceptions), but, he is capable of being a terrific ballad singer. I had hoped NORTH would continue in the same style as his terrific 1998 collaboration with Burt Bacharach, "Painted from Memory." On that album, Elvis & Burt gave the listener 12 instantly infectious ballads that were chock-full of Costello's trademark witty lyrics.
Here, Elvis goes for the ballad approach again, but the ultimate result is too watered-down, too bare. It's one thing to go for a "stripped-down" and "intimate" feel, but this is a bit to extreme. There's no one tune that is hummable or even slightly memorable.
Costello is a fine guitarist, but he should not play piano, as he attempts to do on two of the tracks here. I keep scratching my head at this decision. Why not have the amazing Steve Nieve (from the Attractions/Imposters) play on all the tracks? Or, why didn't Elvis get his new squeeze, Diana Krall, who inspired this album, to play on those tracks?
Elvis Costello is capable of making an album of this sort. There is no doubt about it. He has proven himself to be an amazingly versatile and prolific singer/songwriter. And NORTH could very well have been that great album. Unfortunately, the end result sounds more like skecthes and demos for what could have been yet another masterpiece from a man who has had so many. |
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