Peter de Vries, Staff Contributor
Elvis Costello’s music is still just as angry, cynical, honest, and eclectic as it was back in 1977. At 56, he’s still singing about “working every day, paying off the national ransom” with clear conviction and all the necessary hooks.
National Ransom isn’t so much a step in any new direction for Costello as it is a 16-track treatise on everything he has ever been good at. Although he never quite manages to reproduce the magic of early singles like “Radio Radio” or “Watching the Detectives” here, the album has many memorable moments and all the stylistic adventurousness that you could expect from a good Costello record.
The first track, “National Ransom,” is vintage Costello in full-on rock n’ roll mode with synthesizers, pounding drums, and the requisite political rants. But, never content to stay in one place for long, Costello slows the tempo, trading his synths for strings on “Jimmie Standing in the Rain” before quickening up his acoustic guitar picking on the merrier, folk-inspired “Slow drag with Josephine.”
Later on, “You Hung the Moon” has Costello doing his best Frank Sinatra as dark lyrics contrast starkly with docile string arrangements and Costello’s lullaby-like vocals to particularly alluring effect. The result is a haunting ballad that’s somehow equal parts melancholy and soothing, and would fit snugly alongside any of Tom Waits’s best bawlers.
Unfortunately, National Ransom loses momentum near the end. Even though the second half is fairly consistent despite the throwaway “Spell that you Cast,” the record’s spirit is noticeably diminished after 11 tracks. The album’s 62 minute play time will also test most listeners’ patience.
National Ransom is definitely a worthwhile Costello album despite its occasional missteps, and shouldn’t be overlooked by either long-time or casual fans.
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