National Ransom Hear Music ***

In the autumn of his long and illustrious career, Elvis Costello can be allowed the odd indulgence, and there are a few on this 16-track follow-up to last year’s

Secret, Profane and Sugarcane

. That collection took a turn in the roots direction and this album, again under the guidance of master knob-twiddler T Bone Burnett, revisits that general area, but there is a nod to his fascination with the Great American Songbook (

You Hung the Moon

and

A Voice in the Dark

) plus a couple of vintage raw rock’n’roll tunes including the furious title track,

Five Strong Words

and

The Spell That You Cast

. In addition there is the dramatic

Stations of the Cross

, the folkish

Church Underground

and a couple of theatrical oddities such as

A Slow Drag With Josephine

. If his lyrics intrigue, he has, it must be said, written better melodies. See elviscostello.com

Download tracks: The Spell That You Cast, Stations of the Cross, Five Small Words