There is no need to introduce Elvis Costello. A musical career that spans almost three decades, Costello began to make his mark with 1977's release, "My Aim Is True." He has yet to be confined to one specific genre whether it is New Wave, rock, classical, soul, and pop Costello has dabbled in it all. Twenty studio releases later brings us to "The Delivery Man." Initially it was intended to be a narrative that told of a delivery man and his sordid affairs with women. Costello decided to leave that behind and go with more of a conventional record that is more unified in sound than in story, which is a good thing.
"The Delivery Man" was born out of a song written for Johnny Cash almost twenty years ago, which would explain the country influence, found through out the record. The chaotic opener "Button My Lip" does not give the listener a good gauge of what to expect throughout the rest of "The Delivery Man." Costello croons, "Don't want to talk about the government. Don't want to talk about some incident" over top of his band, The Imposters, and it is more reminiscent of something Joe Strummer would do rather than what Costello is trying to embody with this piece of work. "Country Darkness" driven by the pedal steel guitar finds Costello in comfortable territory while "There's a Story In Your Voice" featuring Lucinda Williams is somehow derailed with her grainy vocal delivery but still manages to stay afloat when Costello and Williams harmonize on the chorus. "Either Side Of Town" is a piano driven ballad while the powerful "Bedlam" is more like early Costello with Pete Thomas's thunderous drum parts and Costello singing, "I might recite a small prayer if I ever said them I lay down on an iron frame found myself in Bedlam."
"Nothing Clings Like Ivy", featuring Emmylou Harris, is a beautiful ballad both simplistic and refreshing while "Heart Shaped Bruise" which also features Harris takes its cue from the aforementioned track but adds a pedal steel guitar for more effect. The bluesy "Monkey To Man" is entrenched in 50's rock and roll and "The Judgment" starts off with a Hammond organ intro before the drums and guitar set the backdrop for the mid tempo ballad. The closing "Scarlet Tide" ties it all together and finds Costello with just a ukulele and Emmylou Harris in a appropriate ending for "The Delivery Man."
"The Delivery Man" tends to struggle in the up-tempo songs like the raucous "Needle Time" or the lazy "The Name Of This thing Called Love." Another drawback to this record is in the ballads. They are definitely a strong point to "The Delivery Man" but can tend to bleed together after several listens. Regardless this is still a strong album and a delightful listen. Elvis Costello makes it seem like there is no territory in the landscape of music that will go untouched, there is no boundary when it comes to genre. "The Delivery Man" is a study in Southern tinged Americana music and it is both affable and enjoyable.
3/4
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