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That Kojak Variety, Elvis Costello's best album since 1986's King of America, contains no originals says something about EC's recent songwriting.
Gone are the mean-spirited lyrics and overcomplicated arrangements of his late-'80s/early-'90s work. They're replaced by — as the album cover says — "rhythm & blues [and] popular ballads."
Well, depends on your interpretation of popular. The best-known song on this collection of covers is probably "I Threw It All Away," a non-hit Bob Dylan song from Nashville Skyline. Smart move — about the time we're rolling our eyes and saying, "Not another album of covers," Costello delivers a selection whose obscurity makes it sound fresh and original. (Duran Duran, take note.)
In the process, Costello has rediscovered his rawness, which never left him in concert but was increasingly lost in the intricacies of his latter-day studio work. You need look no further than his version of Little Richard's "Bama Lama Bama Loo" to realize that the guy still knows how to rock.
He also knows how to sing, a fact that's often overlooked because he made his name as a songwriter. Costello's voice isn't perfect — lately, it's been prone to hoarseness — but its imperfections lend a poignant air to mood pieces like Mose Allison's "Everybody's Crying Mercy" and Bill Anderson's "Must You Throw Dirt in My Face." As good as the ballads are, though, the album's main flaw is that it has one slow one too many — EC really needs to loosen up and rock a little more.
Costello has gone this route before, paying tribute to R&B on 1980's mostly self-penned Get Happy and to country music on 1981's cover album Almost Blue, the biggest critical flop of his career. No critical flop here, as good music and good taste gel for a successful cover album. After almost 15 years, he finally got it right.
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