Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint - The River in Reverse

Those of us that admired the younger, shoutier, angrier Elvis Costello have been left dismayed in recent years. We'd rather Alison, Pump It Up and Oliver's Army any day over The Brodsky Quartet nonsense and doodlings with the hilariously christened Anne-Sophie Von Otter. The man's got so strung up on being taken seriously as a muso that he's forgotten how to have fun. Which is where The River in Reverse appears to differ from Costello's work of late - it sounds like he had the complete ride of a lifetime in the company of New Orleans producer and songwriter Allen Toussaint. I can't remember the last time I tapped my feet to a latterday Costello tune but every one of the tracks on this effort gets me moving in one way or the other. That said, Costello has only self-penned one of the tunes here: the bulk of the tracks are Toussaint compositions, while the pair have knocked heads on five of the songs. Still, a return to happier times and a couple of ballads to die for. Just don't expect the Attractions - it's all heavenly blues 'n' boogie-blessed piano.