Elvis Costello & The Imposters - The Boy Named If (2022) (CD-Rip)

As a rule, one doesn’t know quite what to expect from the generally irascible Elvis Costello, especially given the fact he’s tended to stray into a remarkable array of directions and digressions over the course of a captivating career. That said, The Boy Named If finds the prodigal punk back in familiar territory, retracing the sounds that first brought him to prominence nearly 45 years ago. So while his efforts at retracing classic country, R&B, chamber music, and the sturdy standards of decades past have won him ongoing admiration, it’s comforting to find him revisiting his original turf and offering up the petulant sounds of his earlier endeavors.
In that regard, this new offering brings to mind many of Costello’s initial albums—My Aim Is True, Armed Forces, This Year’s Model, and Imperial Bedroom, among them—given that most of these songs are similar in their stance to the diatribes that defined him early on. “Farewell, OK,” “The Boy Named If,” “What If I Can’t Give You Anything But Love?” and “Mistook Me for a Friend” possess the same angst and edginess that personified that approach, flush with the same insurgent attitude that inevitably cast him as a surly curmudgeon and an otherwise outspoken individual.
As a result, specific comparisons to Costello’s classics are unavoidable. The reggae rhythm driving “The Difference” brings to mind “Watching the Detectives,” while the drama and defiance found in the aforementioned “Mistook Me for a Friend” echoes “Radio Radio” in its snarky sarcasm. So too, “Magnificent Hurt” conveys the same didactic delivery as “Pump It Up,” just as “Paint the Red Rose Blue” and “Mr. Crescent” recall the other side of Elvis, specifically the tender touch of “Allison” in particular.
Clearly then, Costello’s aim is still true. Reunited with former Attractions/Imposters Steve Nieve on keys, drummer Pete Thomas and bassist Davey Faragher, the 67-year-old provocateur is imbuing his senior years with the same verve and veracity infused in those earlier efforts.
I took a little walk, I took another stimulant, he confesses in “Magnificent Hurt.” I shed a single tear for my predicament. Don’t be surprised or insolent. It’s the way you make me feel.

01. Farewell, OK 02:54
02. The Boy Named If 04:25
03. Penelope Halfpenny 02:57
04. The Difference 03:46
05. What If I Can’t Give You Anything but Love? 04:04
06. Paint the Red Rose Blue 04:46
07. Mistook Me for a Friend 04:13
08. My Most Beautiful Mistake 04:47
09. Magnificent Hurt 03:13
10. The Man You Love to Hate 04:53
11. The Death of Magic Thinking 03:32
12. Trick Out the Truth 04:53
13. Mr. Crescent 03:39