Blood & Chocolate

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Never second-guess Elvis Costello. After sacking the group for the majority of <i>King of America</i>, he returned several months later with this Nick Lowe-produced tour de force with the Attractions in full effect. Revisiting the paranoiac menace of <i>This Year’s Model</i>, <i>Blood and Chocolate</i> begins with the Bo Diddley pound of “Uncomplicated” and burrows in from there with some of his most tense performances to date. This agitation works wonders for Costello; he never sounds more in the moment than spitting out the contempt behind “Battered Old Bird” or “Honey Are You Straight or Are You Blind,” mocking the playful swagger of “Crimes of Paris,” indulging in the Dylanesque chaos of “Tokyo Storm Warning,” and pulling out every last dramatic stop for the breathy and breathless near seven-minute tortured love ballad “I Want You,” quite possibly the most effective song ever written about obsessive love. The quickly reunited band never flags. “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” “Home Is Anywhere You Hang Your Head,” and “Blue Chair” feature their immeasurable contributions, as Steve Nieve’s organ and Pete Thomas’ drumming are without peer.

via Apple Music

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