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Perhaps it's the killing pace he's been keeping. Perhaps it's the inevitability that every guru must sooner or later stumble into the gutter. Whatever the reason, with his 10th album in seven years, Elvis Costello (arguably the most powerful pop songwriter around) has hit the earth with a resounding thud.
Since 1977, Costello has matured from angry young rocker to a subtle stylist whose lyrics have maintained a complex, biting edge. However, his desire to evolve into pop's answer to Cole Porter gets the better of him on Goodbye Cruel World.
This record is essentially so tame that it has more in common with Lionel Richie than rock 'n' roll. Even Costello's usual barbed observations on life and love are far too self-conscious and completely lacking his delightfully wicked witticisms.
This time around Costello is a musical lion who can manage nothing more than a meow.
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