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This album might be called an instance of Elvis Costello in quintessence, but a lot of it actually relates to the Decklin MacManus that he once was.
As the title, Brutal Youth, belies, this work takes one back through life, all the way back to childhood.
This retrospective is, of course, tempered with the types of i nights we have come to expect from Elvis, and the lyrics are clever and vibrant, full of his vast range of experience.
Tracks such as "This is Hell," "Clown Strike," "London's Brilliant Parade" and "Rocking Horse Lane" rival and may surpass what has heretofore been considered the best material from Elvis Costello as a lyricist.
Brutal Youth also sees the reunification of Elvis Costello with the legendary Attractions (Pete Thomas, Bruce Thomas and Steve Nieve), and the instrumental efforts are fantastic.
The fluent bass style of Nick Lowe, who plays on about half of the songs, complements the innovation brought about by this happy reunion of exceptional performers.
For those of you who do not know, Elvis Costello and the Attractions were driving, creative forces in the early 80's and before, as was Nick Lowe.
In those days, most of the airplay they got was either on college radio stations or on commercial radio stations with either experimental or at least partially progressive formats.
Today, Elvis Costello has a string of successes, both commercial and artistic, as do the rest of the accomplished performers on Brutal Youth.
Much of the airplay that his new album is getting, interestingly enough, is due once again to college radio.
Inner sleeve photography is a view of many albums that often is not really clever, sometimes employing a rather bland approach, but not so on Brutal Youth.
Here we are afforded a glimpse into the peat of Elvis Costello, thanks to some wonderful photos from his parents, Lillian and Ross MacManus.
Included as well are some interesting and current shots of Elvis by Amelia Stein.
I believe that all Elvis Costello fans will appreciate the way this album takes one back, and I think that a lot of new listeners will be captivated by it as well, especially taking into consideration the stylistic enhancements that so much of the guitar work contains.
Brutal Youth will, I believe, be considered a milestone in the career of Elvis Costello, as it marks a reunion, if only for now, of great artists, and a fifteen-track fest of exciting new material.
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