With
Almost Blue,
Elvis Costello wanted to be a honky tonker. With
Kojak Variety, he's a crooner, picking forgotten tunes by both minor and major artists (anyone from
Screamin' Jay Hawkins to
Bob Dylan). From his song selections to the pseudo-avant-rock/R&B band,
Costello doesn't make any obvious moves. Yet that doesn't mean that the record is difficult -- it just shows the depths of
Costello's affection for music and record collecting (which is also clear from his loving, detailed liner notes).
Costello and his band (featuring guitarists
James Burton and
Marc Ribot, drummer
Jim Keltner and
Attraction Pete Thomas) play with gusto, tearing through the songs with the vigor of a bar band on a Friday night. Some of the rockers sound slightly forced, although there's no denying the power of
Costello's passionate vocals, even if he stretches his range a little too much (
Little Richard's "Bama Lama Bama Loo"). What matters here are the performances, and the majority of
Kojak Variety is filled with fine interpretations.
Kojak Variety does what any good covers album should do -- it makes you want to seek out the originals. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine