965 Elvis Costello And The Attractions - Blood And Chocolate (1986)

 965 Elvis Costello And The Attractions - Blood And Chocolate (1986)

Studio Album - New Wave



About the Act:

Elvis Costello is a British singer/songwriter who started in 1970 and is still going. He came to popularity in the late 70s and at that time was considered to be a "New Wave" act, however it's probably more reasonable in retrospect to think of him as a medium rock singer/songwriter.  He had a sometimes consistent band, The Attractions, and some of his albums are credited to "Elvis Costello and the Attractions". Some albums used the band, but were just credited to Elvis himself, and on some albums he used different musicians.

His first studio album was released in 1977 and he has had 25 since. He has had a lot of commercial and critical success, especially for his earlier albums, and he is widely respected for his songwriting ability.


About the Album:

This was Elvis's 11th studio album. It was a difficult album as his relationship with the band was problematic at the time, so it was the last album he recorded with them for several years. It did pretty well commercially.


My History with this Album:

None


Review:

So, this is what I expected from Elvis Costello - songs about stuff. There is a mixture of paces and sounds, and his distinctive voice used to good effect. Musically it's straightforward, at times quite hard-hitting. Lyrically it is also varied, with some very bitter material in the mix, but some is more wistful. The songwriting quality is excellent, and having listened several times (3 or 4) I get more out of it each time. It's a grower.


7/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6T5rtCxx8dI4C0VckeB85M

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0VQVFM4ctAkrhOs8p1Xk743ACZNC5M3G

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_%26_Chocolate



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