Elvis Costello
Secret, Profane & Sugarcane
Play Secret, Profane & Sugarcane
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AMG Review of Secret, Profane & Sugarcane
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music GuideElvis Costello has spent the back half of his career flitting from style to style, recording everything from opera to R&B, but he avoided the country-folk of 1986's King of America until 2009, when he teamed up with America producer (and fellow Coward Brother) T Bone Burnett for Secret, Profane & Sugarcane. By its very definition, country-folk seems straightforward, but the only thing simple about Secret is the speed of its recording. Costello and Burnett assembled an all-star acoustic string band -- featuring Jerry Douglas on Dobro, Dennis Crouch on bass, Stuart Duncan on fiddle and banjo, and Jim Lauderdale on vocal harmonies -- and cut the album in just three days, its swiftness similar to its knocked-out predecessor Momofuku. Secret, Profane & Sugarcane often bears its quick conception fetchingly, feeling loose-limbed and intimate, a record made simply because it's fun to play, a sentiment that can't quite be said of its songs. Surely, there are times where the humor is as riotous as those old Coward Brothers singles -- Costello and Burnett have a ball on the bawdy travelogue "Sulphur to Sugarcane" and sweetly harmonize with Emmylou Harris on "The Crooked Line" -- but Secret is frequently fussy, particularly on the songs Costello has carried over from his unfinished Hans Christian Andersen opera. The very presence of these songs ("How Deep Is the Red?," "She Was No Good," "She Handed Me a Mirror," "Red Cotton") suggests just how muddled Secret, Profane & Sugarcane is conceptually: it bounces all over the place, threading these stagebound tunes between a collaboration with Loretta Lynn and his take on "Down Among the Wine and Spirits," which he originally wrote for Ms. Loretta, a rollicking leftover from The Delivery Man ("Hidden Shame"), a cover of Bing Crosby's "Changing Partners," the Burnett co-writes, a few new songs, and a reworking of Elvis' old "Complicated Shadows." Despite the occasional stuffiness, there's a lot of good material here and it's all executed well, but it's hard not to shake the feeling that this is a collection of leftovers masquerading as a main course.
Telluride Bluegrass Festival Live Streaming All Weekend!
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One of the best festivals in the world is now streaming live from paradise to your PC! Tonight features Elvis Costello!Go to:http://www.koto.org/Friday, June 194:30 - 5:45pm — Jenny Lewis6:15 - 7:30pm — Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabaté8:00 - 9:30pm — Elvis Costello & The Sugarcanes10:00 - 11:30pm — Railroad EarthSaturday, June 20 11:15 - 12:15pm — Greensky Bluegrass12:30 - 1:45pm — Punch
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MOG it up!
Elvis Costello Secret, Profane, & Sugarcane CD Releases June 2
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Elvis Costello Secret, Profane, & Sugarcane CD Releases June 2 The record was produced by T Bone Burnett and recorded by Mike Piersante during a three-day session at Nashville's Sound Emporium Studio. Joining Costello were Jerry Douglas (dobro), Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Mike Compton (mandolin), Jeff [...]
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Elvis Costello - "Sulphur to Sugarcane" (Live on Conan O'Brien) (video) (Mixed Media)
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Elvis Costello dropped by The Tonight Show last night to play "Sulphur to Sugarcane" off his recent country album Secret, Profane and...
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Elvis Costello and T Bone Burnett Ready Release
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Elvis lives! Elvis Costello, that is. Costello will again join with T Bone Burnett as producer for “Secret, Profane & Sugarcane,” (Hear Music, June 2nd) his first acoustic American roots album since 1986’s “King of America” (also a Costello/ Burnett collaberation.) The album was recorded during a three-day session at Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studio.The [...]
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ELVIS COSTELLO, SHERYL CROW to Guest on 30 Rock Season Finale
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MUSIC NEW - The 3rd season finale of NBC's 30 Rock airs on May 14, 2009 and has secured a number of major musicians, including Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Mary J Blige and Maroon 5's Adam Levine. (buy 1st and 2nd seasons on dvd here). Called the “Kidney Now!” episode, it apparently features other surprise guests! Elvis is prepping for his release of, and tour for, his new Ju
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Elvis Costello Readies New Album
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Elvis Costello will be releasing his new record titled Secret, Profane & Sugarcane on June 2. Secret, Profane & Sugarcane will feature ten previously unreleased tracks produced by T Bone Burnett, as well as covers of Johnny Cash’s “Hidden Shame” & “Boom Chicka Boom” as well as Bing Crosby’s “Changing Partners.”Tracklisting1. Down Among the Wine [...]
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ELVIS COSTELLO to Promote New Release with LA and SF In-store Appearances
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MUSIC NEWS- In praise of independent music retailers, Elvis Costello will celebrate the release of his new 'Secret, Profane & Sugarcane' album (out via Starbucks' Hear Music label) on Monday, June 22, 2009 by performing free in-store shows at Amoeba Records San Francisco, CA and Hollywood locations (sorry Berkeley store!). Costello will kick off his one day "Amoeba Music Tour" at Noon ...
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