Album Review: Elvis Costello – Secret, Profane and Sugarcane

When Elvis Costello goes country, he doesn’t half-ass it. In 1981 he risked alienating fans of his punkish New Wave sound by releasing Almost Blue, an album covering classics made famous by Hank Williams, George Jones, Gram Parsons and other legends. More recently he’s recorded a CMT Crossroads session with Lucinda Williams, championed Wanda Jackson’s nomination to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and co-wrote “The Scarlet Tide,” for the Cold Mountain soundtrack. Following 2008’s Momofuku, Costello returns to his exploration of American roots music with new album Secret, Profane & Sugarcane, his first for Starbucks-owned record label Hear Music.

For his backing band the Sugarcanes, Costello enlists what could be considered bluegrass music’s A-Team. Pity the fool who doesn’t recognize the incredible talent and chemistry of Jerry Douglas on Dobro, Stuart Duncan (banjo and fiddle), Dennis Crouch (bass), Mike Compton (mandolin) and Jim Lauderdale (harmony vocals). Friend and semi-frequent collaborator T Bone Burnett ably fills the role of producer, also contributing guitar work to five of the record’s 13 tracks.

Secret, Profane & Sugarcane has a lot going for it; from the musicians to the production to the sharp songwriting. Unfortunately, if you’re not already an Elvis Costello fan, this probably won’t be the album that wins you over (for that, give a listen to The Delivery Man). Despite the quality of individual tracks, the album as a whole feels disjointed, as though it was cobbled together from a collection of outtakes and informal jam sessions; perhaps this is due to the short time Costello and the gang spent in the studio: three days. Maybe a record’s sound from beginning to end isn’t so important in the days of iPod shuffling, but listening to the album as a whole, there’s a sense of disorganization lurking under the surface.

But this haphazard feeling in no way detracts from the strength of several tracks. “The Crooked Line,” featuring lively accordion and a guest turn from Emmylou Harris, is downright masterful. If anyone needs proof that Emmylou Makes Every Song Better, it’s right here in the pair’s sweet harmonies on the hopeful chorus: “If you were my life’s companion/As it seems you may turn out to be/I’m contemplating/How I hope I’ll find you waiting/At the very end of this crooked line.” “My All Time Doll” has the infectious hooky sounds of classic Costello set to banjo and mandolin, while the loping, six minute long “Sulphur to Sugarcane” is an amusing and blues-influenced travel narrative about life and love on the road. And what town wouldn’t love to get ringing endorsements such as these: “The women in Poughkeepsie/Take their clothes off when they’re tipsy/But I hear in Ypsilanti/They don’t wear any panties?” Clearly, Costello is out to revive the waning tourism industry in these tough times; well done, sir.

In addition to these originals are a few surprises. Costello covers himself, giving “Complicated Shadows” (from 1996’s All This Useless Beauty and originally written for Johnny Cash) the Americana treatment. Closing out the record is a version of “Changing Partners,” a classic made famous in the early 1950s by Patti Page and Bing Crosby, among others. When thinking of country music, crooner Crosby isn’t one of the first names that comes to mind, but Stuart Duncan’s crying fiddle brings to mind Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys’ cover of the song, though with Costello’s “unique” voice replacing Monroe’s flawless tenor.

It’s no secret that Elvis Costello is an acquired taste–many acquired tastes, actually, considering his penchant for reinventing himself. For the Costello fan, then, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane is one more in a line of nearly thirty albums, an enjoyable listen, and an interesting peek into the mind of one of music’s most creative and talented minds. Anyone else, however, shouldn’t lose sleep should they decide to pass this one up next time they’re in line for a latte.