Elvis Costello was a quirky, black-framed glasses rocker before that ever became a modern day fashion statement. Twenty-seven years and twenty-one records later, Costello is cemented within the holy grail of prolific singer-songwriters, as recorded gems and flops have been rediscovered outside the new wave/punk scene. While continually dabbling in adventurous experiments like 2003’s elegant string and horn arranged North, after having just gone rock and roll an album earlier with 2002’s When I Was Cruel, Costello is as chameleonic as artists come.
Oddly enough Costello visited Oxford, Mississippi, not to far from the other Elvis’ Graceland to strum and record this batch of Americana rockers. Mixing intelligence with off-the-cuff rock and roll sophistication has always been one of Costello’s greatest gifts and The Delivery Man drops the goods on all thirteen tracks - with Memphis soul, pedal steel and the southern guest voices of Emmylou Harris &Lucinda Williams, along with his trusty band - The Imposters.
"There’s A Story In Your Voice" would sound right at home in earlier Costello classics like Armed Forces, even with Williams’ country shrill in the mix. The stellar title track hollers in a ghostly blues vain - "In a certain light he looked like Elvis/In a certain way he seemed like Jesus," as Costello sermons an image bigger than the narrative words. "Monkey To Man" is a twist and shout rocker that sounds like a composition off of The Beatles’ Revolver. "Needle Time" and "Bedlam" shake with the outlaw rockabilly and storytelling of Bob Dylan’s last two Americana themed albums, although the raw strength in his vocals hits notes Dylan dares not visit. Although Costello is an identity of his own and shouldn’t be reserved in the same breaths of The Beatles, Dylan and even Presley, it’s a more level comparison these days than an "almost there" bridge. The slower tunes are gracefully sparked from Harris’ angelic backup vocals on "Nothing Clings Like Ivy," "Heart Shaped Bruise" and "The Scarlet Tide." As always Steve Nieve, the constant Robin to Elvis’s Batman, provides otherworldly melodica, theremin, upright piano, Hammond Organ and Wurlitzer oddities.
The Delivery Man proves a solid endeavor for both new and old Costello fans, while keeping the public expecting something entirely different on his next project. Actually for that, check out the London Symphony Orchestra recording of his composition, "Il Sogno," commissioned by Italy's Aterballeto dance company for their adaptation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." As he’s proved through the years, Costello is always thinking ahead to the next venture.
