Elvis Costello & The Impostors, Look Now

Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Look Now

Elvis Costello emerged first as a frenetic, punk-adjacent provocateur and then morphed into a polished pop songwriter and balladeer in the within a decade.Look Now is of the latter persuasion, as Costello and his collaborators arrange most of these songs in the style of 60s and 70s pop/rock with lots of pianos, back-up singers, and a fair bit of brass. There’s a strong vocal jazz element and a bit of Broadway too. Costello’s been writing a musical with Burt Bacharach, and that shows in the lyrics as well as the music, as he’s clearly grown to love writing in character. (A number of the narrative voices on these songs are expressly female, and it works). Some of us may be inclined to long for the younger, rawer Elvis Costello on principle, but there’s no denying his pop songcraft. Highlights: “Unwanted Number,” “He’s Given Me Things,” “Under Lime”

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Richard Thompson, 13 Rivers

Richard Thompson , 13 Rivers Richard Thompson — 13 Rivers Arguably the most consistently engaging artist of the last 50 years, Richard Thompson continues to write deep, dark folk-rock songs with an acerbic wit married to a soft, calm wisdom. This new album isn’t widely divergent from his established catalogue but miraculously Thompson, who was already a guitar hero in the 1970s, still manages to grow as a guitarist and sound fresh. Working highly intricate riffs into the undergirding of each song’s frame, he also solos on every song and as usual, his virtuosity remains connected to the music, always moving the songs forward rather than grandstanding. Plus, Thompson’s one of a kind voice only deepens in resonance over time. Highlights: “Trying,” “O Cinderella,” “Bones of Gilead”

Jacob Banks, Village

Jacob Banks , Village With the British, Nigerian-born future soul singer’s full-length debut, Jason Banks discovers the point at which today’s forward-thinking alternative R&B comes full circle and connect with classic R&B. Banks’s arrangements are contemporary, much of his instrumentation electronic and advanced, and he makes relevant enough cultural references to blend in with the hip hop set. his voice, though, recalls the soul men of yore, with a mighty, stirring baritone of which he is in full command. His voice rings out with power and sensitivity in equal measure. Banks brings some fusion from outside R&B world too, with traces of reggae and African sounds. This one’s worth checking out even if you don’t think you like soul or R&B. Highlights: “Kumbaya,” “Caroline,” “Unknown (To You)”

Czarface & MF Doom, Czarface Meets Metal Face

Czarface & MF Doom , Czarface Meets Metal Face A match made in comic book hip hop heaven, it’s easy enough to predict what happens when Czarface Meets Metalface and it’s even easier to love. Czarface, already a comics-inspired collaboration — between Wu Tang’s Inspectah deck and the Boston underground rap duo 7L & Esoteric — delivers top-notch, east coast, street level boop bap with densely packed rhymes. Supervillain-themed, iron mask-wearing MF Doom offers more abstract, cosmically minded lyrics but his flow is just as kinetic and his vibe is just as pulpy. The two acts commit hard to their fantastical ethos, playing the comics imagery to the hilt in both the songs and in the interludes. If you enjoy your cultural touchstones — musical and fictional — intersecting, this is a blast. Highlights: “Phantoms,” “Forever People,” “Astral Traveling”

Album Reviews by Stefan Wenger

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