Albums by this artist

Elvis Costello has worked with a wide array of musicians throughout the '90s. The union many find the most perplexing is of Costello and revered songsmith Burt Bacharach. But any Costello fan would know that such a pairing makes perfect sense.

In the late '70s, Costello was often known to whip out the Burt tune "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" at shows, and over the years he's recorded two other Bacharach compositions, "Baby It's You" and "Please Stay." But perhaps it's the fact Bacharach agreed to the collaboration that many find intriguing. It is a little difficult to picture him kicking back and listening to This Year's Model, but Bacharach indeed calls himself an Elvis Costello fan.

The two initially started working together at the request of movie director Allison Anders, who wanted the two to write a song for the protagonist (loosely based on Carole King) of her film Grace Of My Heart. The resulting song was the critically lauded "God Give Me Strength," a slow ballad employing the trademark Bacharach arrangement -- think flugel horn -- and Costello lyric -- think "Alison." The success of this songwriting partnership enticed the pair to write an entire album. Two years later they released Painted From Memory.

This is easily the vocal performance of Costello's career. The key to a successful career in pop music is to have an easily recognizable voice, and that Costello has. Let's face it, he's no Dionne Warwick. He's not able to read Bacharach's arrangements as deftly as she could, but that somehow works in his favor. His voice is nasal and strained, the perfect voice for these morose songs of loss. The narrator is under a certain amount of duress, and so is Costello's voice. It forms an odd juxtaposition with the lush orchestrations and makes the narrator's melancholy all the more believable.

On first listen, the sugary arrangements of Bacharach are a little off-putting. The backing vocals, cheesy keyboard solos, and cod-jazz guitar all seem a little too "Adult Contemporary" and over-the-top. The most effective arrangement on the album is also the simplest. "Painted From Memory" is based around a lightly picked guitar, highlighted by a piano and string section. It's probably the most beautiful song on the album.

Often, however, Bacharach's arrangements are essential to the song, the backing vocals especially. The songs all deal with disintegrating relationships, and female backing vocals add another dynamic to the song because they tend to represent the "other side" of the relationship -- a voice not often recognized in Costello's music.

Another example of Bacharach's witty arrangements is "Such Unlikely Lovers," a song about meeting someone at the strangest moment and becoming lovers. Costello sings, "Listen now / I'm not saying that there will be violins / But don't be surprised if they appear." Right on cue, a set of violins comes in. Clever.

Painted From Memory is perhaps Costello's greatest album this decade. The songs are brilliantly written and display a side of Costello that isn't highlighted all that often. In addition, it's vintage Burt Bacharach: exquisite melodies, clever vocal lines, and melodramatic orchestrations. We should all be eternally grateful to Allison Anders for introducing these two master melody makers.

BRADLEY SMITH |