story

ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS, CRUEL SMILE (ISLAND)

Elvis Costello was accused by some benighted souls of becoming a pretentious windbag through his late-90s collaborations with jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, saxophonist John Harle, songwriting legend Burt Bacharach and Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter. But thanks to sublime songwriting, heartfelt vocals and unintrusive production values, all of those projects were unfailingly melodic and utterly accessible. Where, pray tell, was the pretention in that?

Those tin-eared critics are probably breathing a little easier now as Costello continues his return to rock with Cruel Smile. Coming just six months after the wonderfully barbed When I Was Cruel, Declan McManus' latest disc offers up a grab bag of retooled (and retitled) songs from the earlier album, assorted live tracks and a few previously unreleased songs. If it's all a bit of a ramshackle mess, it's also as vivid an example of Costello's restless creative spirit as those aforementioned forays into other musical styles.

Remixes are typically done by star producers, but Costello co-mans the board himself here for bent riffs on Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution) and . . . dust, rechristened here as Revolution Doll and The Imposter Vs. The Floodtide (Dust And Petals). Among the six live performances is a bracing version of Uncomplicated and a spirited run through Watching The Detectives segueing into My Funny Valentine. The new songs include two charming renditions of Charlie Chaplin's Smile and When I Was Cruel (No. 1), which is completely different from the previous album's title track and, arguably, far better.

We get all this and a video of 45 to boot. Cruel Smile might appear on the surface to be a disposable addition to Costello's storied discography, but longtime fans won't want to miss it. B+

- LOUIS HAU, Times staff (Submitted by Robert Sabat)

Last update: 4/7/2003; 6:26:20 PM.