Following the frenzied
pop
-
soul
of
Get Happy!!
,
Elvis Costello & the Attractions
quickly returned to the studio and recorded
Trust
, their most ambitious and eclectic album to date. As if he were proving his stylistic diversity and sophistication after the concentrated genre experiment of
Costello
assembled
as a stylistic tour de force, packing the record with a wild array of material.
"Clubland"
has jazzy flourishes,
"Lovers' Walk"
rolls to a
Bo Diddley
beat,
"Luxembourg"
is
rockabilly
redux,
"Watch Your Step"
"From a Whisper to a Scream"
rocks as hard as anything since
This Year's Model
"Shot with His Own Gun"
Tin Pan Alley
"Different Finger"
is the first
country
song he put on an official album, and that's not even counting highlights like
"New Lace Sleeves"
and
"White Knuckles,"
which essentially stick to
's signature
, but offer more complex arrangements and musicianship than before. In fact, both "complexity" and "sophistication" are keywords to the success of
-- without delving into the minutely textured arrangements that would dominate his next
album,
Imperial Bedroom
--
Costello & the Attractions
demonstrate their musical skill and savvy by essentially sticking to the direct sound of their four-piece band. In the process, they recorded, arguably, their most impressive album, one that demonstrates all sides of
's songwriting and performing personality without succumbing to pretentiousness. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine