Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Entertain n E/vis G< By MIKE ROMATOWSKI Entertainment Iditor You come home from a long, hard day at school and throw your books in the closet. You iust want to relax and listen to some laid-back, soothing music. Not punk, not rock, not new wave. Country, maybe. Yeah, country. Thiimhina thrrnioh vniir 1 '"'"" (5 ^ extensive collection of LPs, + you bypass the Charlie Rich and Merle Haggard records given to you by your cousin from Tennessee and pull out the newest addition to your country collection. You put it on the turntable, flop down on the couch, and soon you're relaxing to the bluesy strains of...Elvis Costello and the Attractions? Yes, Elvis has gone ? Nashville, literally. Almost Blue, Costello's seventh album since his 1977 debut, My Aim Is True, was recorded in Nashville during eleven days in May of this year. None of the songs are originals; Costello and his band cover tunes by such eountrv leeendarv artists as Rich, Haggard, Hank Williams, George Jones and .-v > .-'.M c nent oes To h Gram Parsons. Amazingly o enough, Costello pulls this g project off effortlessly, like a d magician masterfully v pulling the rug out from under a roomful of antique furniture without damaging any of the merchandise, 1 I THIS IS the best-produced [ album Costello has ever put ? out; the sound is clear and r clean and the record as a , whole is finely crafted. The j men responsible for this are ( producer Billy Sherrill (who also wrote "Too Far Gone" ? one of the two best cuts on the album), and engineer 1 Ron "Snake" Reynolds. J These two men have given Costello a new type of sound ' for this record; the vocals are "up front" and minus the echo effects of past Costello tunes like "Mystery Dance." The Attractions are, as always, in top form on this basically laid-back album (all but two cuts are ballads ). Pete Thomas on drums and Bruce Thomas on bass stay unobtrusively in the background and let Costello's vocals and Steve Neive's acoustic piano share the spotlight. Special guest John McFee also contributes lashvill n some cuts with lead uitar and pedal steel, as loes Tommy Miller on iolin. It is Neive's piano that eally makes this album a >leasure. Costello's best >allads have alwavs eatured Neive on acoustic )iano rather than the organs ind synthesizers that propel nost of Elvis' fast tunes, ind on this album the piano s in evidence on most of the :uts. Although Costello will lever be compared with George Jones or Hank Williams as a country vocalist, he does a moreihan-passable job on Almost Blue. He keeps his singing in check and demonstrates an obvious love affair with the songs he has chosen to cover. Tho host cuts are Sherrill's 'Too Kar Gone" and J. Chestnut's "A Good Year For The Hoses," both of which rank among the best vocals Elvis has ever done on a ballad. AMONG TIIK other slow tunes are "I'm Your Toy" and "How Much I Lied," hoth hv Gram Parsons. ? ^ ? Merle Haggard's "Tonight the Bottle lx?t Me Down," and George Johes' "Brown w c :g i HB t S8MSH . ; \v. :S.'-5 v .IV < T.. An Smellst To Blue" and "Color Of The "i Blues." The two rockers are ar Hank Williams' "Why Don't th You Ixwe Me (like you used Ti to do)" and "Honey Hush." Both of these tunes are barnburners that race along at h< "Mystery Dance" pace. \ It should not come as a c< complete surprise that C Costello seems so at home a with country songs; he has te nfton nrofpssod his lovo of ki old Hank Williams tunes and tr the like. He has also ventured into similar territory in the past ? last year's larzing noerues coiuameu <1 "Radio Sweetheart" and si Ives Costello debuted in 1977 Vim Is True/ featuring such Nev is 'Welcome 10 tne workir )ance/ and 'Watching the Det hrough such albums as 'Arnn lappy.' Costello continued to | juirky, up tempo tunes, but al in occasional country song li Jouse/ Now, with his new LP, las opted for laid-back cover trtists as Charlie Rich and Geoi s the tirst Costello album one c id Come w Like I stranger In The House," alt id "Different Finger" was art e best song on this year's alv rust. wit ev? It is surprising, "a! iwpupi' that ^'Ivis ;?nd the SCl ttractions come off with ar* ich smoothness and taste ani 1 an entire album of se< >untry material. Elvis Pe ostello has never put out an cai Ibum that wasn't inresting, and Almost Blue L?eps up that impressive th< ack record. ou V I so Costello is reportedly hi: Iready putting together the he jngs for his next studio so with the album My v Wave-styled songs ig Week,' 'Mystery ectives.' Progressing ed Forces' and 'Get produce a stream ot so began slipping in ike 'Stranger In the , 'Almost Blue,' Elvis ^ vj i uy 3ulii ge Jones. The result an relax to. Roses >um. n is amazing inai an ist who is so prolific still vays manages to come up th high-quality material ev y time out. Costello is si ally from the same lool of songwriting as such :ists as Graham Parker d Joe Jackson, and there ?ms to be a great comI it i An hntuioon f hoi r reers. Costello has risen to e occasion, however, and (distanced his rivals; he is i r r e n 11 y the best ngwritc?r of his type, and s talent shines even when - is doing songs written by meone else.