|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
Special Offers and Product Promotions
- Get $1 in Amazon MP3 credit with qualifying purchase. Limited to one promotional credit per customer. Here's how (restrictions apply)
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Editorial Reviews
On National Ransom Elvis Costello once again teams up with Grammy award winning producer T Bone Burnett and engineer Michael Pierante. Recorded in eleven days between Los Angeles and Nashville, Elvis is joined by all the members of the Imposters and Sugarcanes along with special guests Vince Gill, Marc Ribot, Buddy Miller and Leon Russell. All of these songs are newly composed by Costello with the exception of "I Lost You," co-written with Jim Lauderdale and "All These Strangers," for which Costello and T Bone Burnett collaborated on the lyrics. Costello and Burnett also provide the lyrics for "My Lovely Jezebel," a Leon Russell rock and roll tune.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Elvis hits the mark on this one,
By Kil Roi (Ashburn, VA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: National Ransom (Audio CD)
"National Ransom," the latest release from Elvis Costello, is musically tasteful and lyrically sophisticated. In short, Elvis really assembled this one well.A Whitman's Sampler of styles, "National Ransom" takes the listener on a sonic trip: edgy rock, New Orleans jazz, acoustic jazz, country, ballads, blues ... even a detour back to the "Attractions" days. Yes, for all you longtime Elvis fans, "Alison" could be slipped onto this disc and would blend in. But it doesn't stop there. From the country churns ("That's Not the Part of Him You're Leaving" and "I Lost You") to the Victrola waltzes ala Leon Redbone ("You Hung the Moon") Elvis' voice hasn't sounded better. Like acoustic guitar? "A Slow Drag With Josephine" is spot on, complete with mandolins and whistling -- echoes of Ry Cooder. "Jimmie Standing in the Rain" -- a melancholy night in the French Quarter. "Bullets For the New-Born King" -- Which is more poetic? The lyrics or the silky acoustic guitar. You decide. "National Ransom" is a monster step up from Elvis' previous album, "Secret, Profane & Sugarcane," which housed a lot of mediocre and forgettable tunes. Meandering cleverly through the various genres, "National Ransom" is Elvis at what is perhaps his creative peak.
28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Barnburning, compelling, tuneful...Elvis at the Top of his creative prowess!,
By
This review is from: National Ransom (Audio CD)
Elvis Costello has a lot of different sides, a lot of different interests. When a new release comes out, you gotta wonder what you are going to get--will it be straight ahead rockers with a dash of humor? Will it be sophistipop with elaborate arrangements ala Burt Bacharach? Will he collaborate with a string quartet on one of the most ambitious albums by a rock musician ever? Will he re-interpret classic pop tunes with an opera Diva? Will he give us smoky jazz? I love all the possibilities, and bought this sound unheard. I have to say, wow, it is all and none of those things, and it is great!Elvis digs deep into all of his past work--his lyrics are sophisticated, humorous, touching. He shines on his melodies--catchy yet not obvious. INstrumentation is tight, and it feels like he has lived these songs for a while. Instrumentation is straightforward, but feels very full and well orchestrated. As I listened to the album, I could feel some influence from the southern US--pickers, some jazzy chord changes, even a little dixie jazz feel in places. Listen, if you like Elvis Costello, if you are one of the faithful who has stuck by him in all his many incarnations, then this is a no-brainer. Buy it now. If you are a relapsed fan, this is a great place to jump back in--the album is approachable, beautiful, fun, and artistically impressive. If you've never listened to Elvis Costello before, you've got a great set of treats to pick up. You're going to want to pick up some of his older albums as well, but this is a fantastic into to the quirky, fascinating, multigenre spanning talent of Elvis. Get it. I can't wait to buy another copy to give away!
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
National treasure,
By
This review is from: National Ransom (Audio CD)
Elvis Costello's new CD "National Ransom" is produced by T-Bone Burnet and sees him traipsing through Blues, Rock, Jazz and even Country. Backed by his regular touring band The Imposters, as well as a few guests like Vince Gill and Leon Russell. The rocking Blues title track opens the album, followed by the Ragtime "Jimmie Standing In The Rain" which tells the story of a failed music-hall singer getting drenched in the rain at a Lancashire train station.Each of the album's 16 tracks is special so I'll just pick on a few to highlight. The woozy enthralling "Stations Of The Cross", "A Slow Drag With Josephine" is acoustic Folk, "Five Small Words" is bouncy Country with quivering guitars, "Church Underground" is Bluesy Pop (with snarling vocals and guitars), the slow shuffling Jazzy "You Hung The Moon", the Folk/Blues "Dr. Watson, I Presume", the acoustic "One Bell Ringing", and the vaudeville "A Voice In The Dark". "National Ransom" is like a well stocked jukebox which ticks all the right boxes.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
