Customer Reviews

Secret, Profane And Sugarcane (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Version)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Do you remember his collaborations with Burt Bacharach? With Allen Toussaint? With Anne Sophie von Otter? Or hooking up with T-Bone Burnett for some of those rootsy string-band settings that proved popular for Robert Plant & Alison Krauss?
Well, on this one, the master of re-invention is back on familiar ground, back to Nashville.
Elvis Costello and T-Bone Burnett first crossed acoustic guitars in 1984 in the guise of the Coward Brothers. and they hit the road as duo.
Twenty years after their last performances as a duo, Costello and Burnett reunited for a set at a 2006 San Francisco bluegrass festival.
They were backed by three stalwarts of the genre, all Burnett regulars: fiddler Stuart Duncan, mandolin player Mike Compton and standup bassist Dennis Crouch. Two years later, the three pickers, along with dobro virtuoso Jerry Douglas, gathered in Studio A at Nashville's righteously old-school Sound Emporium - where Burnett and his brilliant engineer Mike Piersante had cut the soundtracks to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", "Cold Mountain" and "Walk The Line", along with Robert Plant & Alison Krauss' modern-day classic Raising Sand.
"Secret, Profane & Sugarcane", Costello's first country album since King of America was recorded in just three days. T Bone Burnett (who helmed Costello's 1986 album, "King of America" -- and, less memorably, 1989's Spike) is in the producer's chair.
Emmylou Harris adds her burnished alto to one song that Burnett co-writes, "The Crooked Line" and the band is made up of top-rank country and bluegrass session men.
On this album we are far from the siren lure of Plant & Krauss's harmonies. But the result is equally intriguing.
This collection of songs is more rootsy than 1981's Almost Blue. Costello's dalliance in fiddly, old-time country music almost feels like a return to base camp. The tracks are predominantly acoustic but retain a fiercely contemporary feel despite being drenched in bluegrass traditions.
Costello's at times strained honk is warmed by the close harmonies of Jim Lauderdale and set against exquisite mandolin, soaring fiddle, double bass and accordion.
There are many nods to the country-music establishment -- songs originally composed for the late Johnny Cash, one co-written with Loretta Lynn -- but this is essentially music of the moment.
"Down Among the Wine and Spirits", "How Deep Is the Red" and "Sulphur to Sugarcane" - the latter is another Burnett co-write in the spirit of Cash's "I've Been Everywhere" - all speak of a man securely in touch with his muse.
On the title refrain of "How Deep Is The Red" and the following "She Was No Good", a pair of art songs from Costello's 2005 Hans Christian Anderson commission for the Royal Danish Opera - the effect might sound lugubrious, with no impetus and not memorable, despite the impeccable execution.
"Red Cotton", the last of the Andersen songs, is the most gripping ballad entry, functioning as a sort of sequel to Randy Newman's "Sail Away", while "Changing Partners", which Costello learned from a Bing Crosby record, closes the album on a classic note". - Uncut
There's no flash and filigree here, just the reassuring sound of solid craftsmanship unselfishly placed in the service of deft narratives of ordinary lives, shot through with extraordinary emotion.
According to some, the album is a little too languid, too cluttered and the songs rarely catch fire.
Truth is: playing it so unusually safe is no bad thing for Costello, his songwriting remains impeccably tight and this is an album, full of good stuff and reveals a host of immediately enjoyable songs.
Highlights: "Down Among the Wines and Spirits", "Hidden Shame", the delightful "Sulphur To Sugarcane" and the magnificently wordly "My All Time Doll", delivered by Costello with restrained intensity.
Painted from Memory
The River in Reverse
For the Stars

Really I can't say enough good things about this cd. It's been the go to album for every mood and every spare moment since receiving it. It's fun, it's intelligent, it's filled with history and mostly I can't help but sing along with every song. Track 10, Sulphur to Sugarcane is my new favorite song. Thank you Mr Costello for singing it at the Arlington in Santa Barbara a few months ago. And #4 My All Time Doll is sexy and sweet and gave me happy chills the first time I heard it. I could go on but this would turn into a love letter instead of a raving review. Buy it, Enjoy it, Sing your heart out along with it.

This is an extremely well produced disc full of great performances but I fear that it will not get a lot of future play in my rotation. There are certainly standout tracks, "Hidden Shame" is every bit as good as the version by The Man in Black; I enjoyed "Sulphur to Sugarcane" when he previewed it on his solo acoustic tour with Dylan and I like it even more on this disc. "I Felt the Chill" and "Changing Partners" are also standouts (although, as with any Costello album my favorites change). "Complicated Shadows", on the other hand, falls flat from its previous Rolling-Stones-rave-up arrangement and sounds oddly rushed and disjointed here. The players really stand out, though. Love the mandolin, Dobro and bass. And Jim Lauderdale's voice complements Costello's beautifully. Curious to see how they work together live this summer.

This is a very strong collections of songs dressed up in a acustic outfit. And no drums just lika the other Elvis FIRST recordings. Just a few reflections about this artist. To have one of his best periods ("When I Was Crule" 2002 and "Momofuku" 2008 is also 5 stars records) after 30 years in rock & rollbizzniz is quite something. And so is his way to work without any musical borders. 4 of the songs here was written and preformed first as an opera (Elvis sanged them with a Swedish operagirl in Copenhagens operahouse in 2005) but here they appear as hillbilly-songs. Could two musicstyles be more different? And it works wonderfull! Remember also "For The Stars": Operastar Anne Sofie Von Otter and pubrocklegend Billy Bremner on the same recordings! A pint of champagne, please!

The more I listen to this album the more I love it. It sounds like good old fashioned American music a la the "O Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack. I thought for sure that these were covers and was pleasantly surprised to see that they are not. I feel this is Elvis's best album since his early years. BUY THIS ALBUM! You will not regret it. Acoustic American music at its finest (even if it's by an englishman!)

With "Secret, Profane & Sugarcane," Elvis explores a sort of bluegrass/New Orleans fusion and comes up smelling sweet ... after stinking a bit on "Momofuko."

For the most part, the production is spare and there are some similarities to "Juliet Letters" in the emphasis on vocals and harmonies, particularly in "She Handed me a Mirror." A few songs seem to have been bolted on - the two songs Elvis wrote for Johnny Cash, "Hidden Shame" and "Complicated Shadows" clearly were not written for Elvis. It sounds as if he struggles to avoid simply giving a vocal impression of the late Mr. Cash, and in the case of "Hidden Shame" he fails, which is unfortunate because it really is a wonderful song with beautiful, yet terrifying lyrics. "Complicated Shadows," which appeared previously on "Useless Beauty" is better suited to Elvis' voice, and the version here sounds more like a song from "Spike" than the other songs on this album, with the exception of "My All Time Doll" which also sounds like offspring from "Spike."

"She Was No Good" is one of Elvis' best songs ever - the lingering on key notes in the song underscores the beauty of the lyrics and the melody. The lead track is a great introduction to the overall concept of the album, and "Sulfur to Sugarcane," with its bawdy lyrics and downright profane refrain (I think we all know what he means by "sulfur") is a catchy little romp that keeps the toe tapping even on the fiftieth listen. I really wouldn't categorize this album as country (with the exception of "Hidden Shame"); it is more American folk with bluegrass influence.

While it isn't in the top five Costello albums of all time, it is an album that has become for me like an old friend - something I come back to with frequency and I never regret an hour spent with these well-crafted tunes.

Elvis is everywhere and good for us. On Treme via HBO,on tour,on Sundance Channel's Spectacle and as Daddy to twins with Diana Krall so the musical empire will continue. I saw him at [...] on May 1 play for two full hours a full variety of his songs and even some rockabilly-bluegrass ones. Go buy this as it is a unique take on early American southern rarely performed songs.

Mr. Costello wants to do a country album. I have no problem with this. Afterall, he is Elvis Costello. He can do whatever he wants.

Mostly originals...some co-written with T-Bone Burnett. Add in one Loretta Lynn and one Bing Crosby cover. Some traditional country, some hillbilly folk, some bluegrass, and a drunken outlaw ballad or two. Together, it all sounds like it was a fun record to make.

Secret, Profane & Sugarcane is my first Elvis Costello CD, but I was drawn to it because he had teamed up with ace producer T-Bone Burnett who has been the man behind the scenes of some really great music. I am pleased to report that this CD belongs on that list.

Although not his main genre of music, Costello does a masterful job on a collection of 13 roots country songs. His voice works really well with instrumentation including Dobro, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and accordion. Here's a look at some of the highlight songs (although in fairness you could validly pick any or all of them):

"Complicated Shadows" - This is one of multiple songs that sound like they could have been taken from the movie O' Brother, Where Art Thou?. It is a mid-tempo song about a man who is tried, convicted, and executed for murder. The vocal delivery is very catchy with good harmonies too. It also includes the great line "Sometimes justice you will find/Is just dumb not colour-blind".

"My All Time Doll" - Here we have another mid-tempo song, but this one is about a wayward man who is smitten by true love. Costello's vocals are very rhythmic against the strum of the guitars. The accordion and mandolin accents also come in and out nicely.

"She Handed Me A Mirror" - This is one of the slower songs on Secret, Profane & Sugarcane. The combination of fiddle, Dobro, and mandolin combine to set the backdrop for a sad, subdued tale of a man who finds himself rejected by his love because of his own vanity. It comes across best in these lines from the third verse "She handed me a mirror/So I could recognize/The Distance from my heart to hers/The distance from my heart to hers".

"She Was No Good" - Costello sings of ill tempered women on various riverboats. It is another slower song, but it has more drive and energy than "She Handed Me A Mirror" I loved the drunken shouts after the line "And several drunken musicians ran amok".

"The Crooked Road" - Emmylou Harris joins Costello for another song about relationships. It is one of the more up-tempo songs on the CD. It deals with how life is not always simple or black and white as indicated by the line at the end of the chorus "How I hope I'll find you waiting/At the very end of this crooked line". I found this to be along the lines of the songs that Burnett recorded with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. I wouldn't mind an entire CD of Costello and Harris as the blended well. This was also one of the songs that have a more standard structure of verse/chorus/verse/chorus/solo/chorus. While the song is serious, it is not a downer. The solo features rather cheery accordion and fiddle along with a couple of "hoots".

Overall, I really liked Secret, Profane & Sugarcane. It lived up to all of my expectations of a T-Bone Burnett production, and I was pleasantly surprised in Elvis Costello's musicianship. If you like roots country music, I think this CD is for you.

Download this: Complicated Shadows

Elvis excels in any genre he chooses.A little bit laid back but fun just the same.