Elvis Costello: North

For at least a decade, Elvis Costello fans have been divided into two camps: those who showed up for the straightforward rock and pop albums, and those who followed him down every artistic side street he chose to explore. A strong case can be made for both positions, but both have their shortcomings. The unadventurous couldn't help but notice Costello's waning interest in his classic sound, and they missed a fair amount of impressive material. Teaming with Burt Bacharach for Painted From Memory, for example, gave Costello one of the best albums of his career, and even For The Stars, his odd-couple pairing with soprano Anne Sofie VonOtter, demands a listen, if only for the inspired Paul McCartney/Tom Waits medley. Then again, Costello has a frustrating tendency to turn ideas that might be charming for a track or two into full-length albums. Case in point: North, a collection of torchy songs composed during the downtime from a recent tour. Costello's voice has long been underrated, and North features some of his most technically impressive singing, placing him front and center as a small ensemble plays behind him. The approach resembles the one used on Painted From Memory, but his songs sound so understated that they often border on the subliminal. Bereft of melody and short on memorable lyrics (a Costello first), North is background music in the least appealing sense: Brought to the fore, it falls to pieces. Apart from a couple of bright spots that almost redeem the proceedings–the striking "Someone Took The Words Away" and the dreariness-dissolving "I'm In The Mood Again"–the songs aspire to sound like standards, but mostly sound standard-issue.