Elvis Costello

Painted From Memory

It has its lovely moments--worthwhile but not wonderful

Review Score:

(6/10)
The inadequacies of Elvis Costello's singing point up the sweep and emotional range of Burt Bacharach's music, but the inadequacies of Elvis Costello's lyric-writing damage much of it irreparably. His lyrics often don't scan or rhyme true or make any coherent point. Even when they scan they only seem to fit emotionally about one half of the time. In short, Mr. Costello painfully lacks the discipline and technical adroitness of Hal David. (Hal David himself is no match for Dorothy Fields or Oscar Hammerstein, certainly not for Stephen Sondheim.) At least I expected Mr. Costello to help rein in Mr. Bacharach's penchant for shlocky over-orchestration: a little austerity goes a long way. The best song I think is "Tears at the Birthday Party". The problem is that the story it tells hinges on it worst line: "Some day I know he'll forget to pay you the compliments you're after." The musical setting makes it sound as if the phrase "to pay you the compliments you're after" is not the object of "forget", that it belongs with the following sentence. In any case, the sentiment expressed is misogynistic and puerile.

Recommended: PENTATONIC SCALES FOR THE JAZZ-ROCK KEYBOARDIST by Jeff Burns.

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