Has Elvis Costello Recorded His Final Album?
12/22/2010
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(Gibson) Elvis Costello has just released his 33rd studio album
and it might be his last. Feeling that the era of the album was ending, the rock veteran says he threw everything he had into National Ransom, a double-LP, single CD as wildly varied and absolutely intriguing as Costello's career. With T-Bone Burnett at the helm, Costello recorded both with country music virtuosos as well as his rock band, the Imposters. The sessions also returned the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer to Nashville, the same place he and the Attractions made Almost Blue, nearly 30 years ago. Costello recently took time out of his schedule to chat with Gibson.com about the first time he came to Nashville, his approach to live performances and why he may never make another album.First, I want to congratulate you for the Grammy nomination for "Kiss Like Your Kiss." Somebody sent me a message about that and I said, "What nomination, I'm not even eligible." [Laughs] So it was kind of a surprise, but I'm very pleased for Lucinda [Williams]. I think it's one of the most beautiful songs she's ever written and I just try to stay out of her way. They wanted us both to sing it. Truthfully, it sounds way better on her new record when she sings it alone. No, I'm not being falsely modest. It genuinely does sound better as a solo. But it's a great song and I'm glad she got acknowledged. Growing up in England, what was your mental picture of Nashville? Um, well I don't know that I had one. I knew that it wasn't exclusively country music. I did know that because I knew that Dylan had recorded Blonde on Blonde there. I won't say growing up, but as a young musician, I really loved Charlie Rich. I knew Charlie Rich made records in Nashville and I didn't really think they were country records even though Billy Sherrill produced a bunch of them, you know? They were kind of like sophisticated R&B records. I guess you'd call it that. Some of them were ballad records. Anyway
and Ray Price, what kind of singer is he? Started out certainly as a country singer, but, I mean, he's such an elegant singer, there's all kinds of music. I mean, you know, Hank Garland. Gary Burton, these jazz records. I think it's just that it's a rich musical town, that's the truth. Over the years, there's been different movements in country music that I've retrospectively become aware of. I have my favorites among the recording artists. I have to be honest, of the ones that record in Nashville, I don't think of so many on the current country charts as being among my favorites, but that's ever the way, you know? It's not being made for me to listen to, it's for somebody else. Read the full in-depth interview here
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