Secret, Profane and Sugarcane 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 Taylor (accordion) and Dennis Crouch (double bass), some of the most highly regarded recording artists and musicians in traditional American country music, bluegrass and beyond. Several of these songs, including "Down Among The Wines and Spirits", were given their first public performances during Costello’s acclaimed solo appearances as part of The Bob Dylan Show in late 2007. The album includes ten previously unrecorded songs. "Sulphur to Sugarcane" and "The Crooked Line" were co-written with T Bone Burnett, while "I Felt The Chill" marks Costello’s second recorded songwriting collaboration with Loretta Lynn. Costello revisits two songs from his catalogue in string band style, both songs originally written for Johnny Cash. "Hidden Shame" was indeed included on Cash’s album, Boom Chicka Boom.
T**E
I love it. If you're into great songwriting
A treat....musically and lyrically absorbing. Melodically intriguing....the songs do exactly what I want them to do....even though I couldn't write one for a king's ransom! Satisfying,challenging....I love it. If you're into great songwriting,this is a master class from a master of popular music.
K**Y
Five Stars
great album excellent service
T**N
This record is a great one. Costello never let you down
Costello goes bluegrass and folksongs. This record is a great one. Costello never let you down.
H**S
Five Stars
Elvis never fails to surprise - this is an amazing album
W**H
Fair to maudlin
This cd from a legendary singer/songwriter is a disappointing effort compared to his earlier works but marks a radical departure to a more folky sound and improves towards the end.
J**R
Always good
I bought this for my husband who has always been a fan of Elivis Costello-he was not disappointed, he loves it!
T**Y
Five Stars
the man does it again, excellent
T**R
Down among the wine and spirits...
This is a country rock record from Elvis Costello, a bit similar to some of the material on 1986's "King Of America", but far more rootsy and country-bluesy than that album, which still contained many echoes of his recent at the time work with The Attractions. There are no such throwbacks on this one. It is probably the rootsiest album he had recorded thus far.TRACK LISTING1. Down Among The Wine & Spirits2. Compicated Shadows3. I Felt The Chill Before The Winter Came4. My All Time Doll5. Hidden Shame6. She Handed Me A Mirror7. I Dreamed Of My Old Lover8. How Deep Is The Red9. She Was No Good10. Sulphur To Sugarcane11. Red Cotton12. The Crooked Line13. Changing PartnersKicking off is the lively country blues of "Down Among the Wine & Spirits" then, funnily enough, we get a cover of a 1996 Attractions number, from "All this Useless Beauty", "Complicated Shadows", but done in an acoustic style. "I Felt The Chill Before The Winter Came" is a mournful, folky lament backed by a solid bass and evocative fiddle. "My All Time Doll" is a folk ballad reminiscent of some of the material on "Spike". It has some really haunting fiddle at the end. "Hidden Shame" brings to mind "The People's Limousine"and "Glitter Gulch" from "King Of America", in its jaunty countriness."She Handed Me A Mirror" is a stark, evocative ballad, as indeed are "I Dreamed Of My Old Lover" and "How Deep Is The Red". The latter are more intricate, musically, but all three are slow-paced numbers. "She Was No Good" is a muscular, powerful, but starkly backed folk ballad. The pace of the album has become very sombre and reflective by now.The bluesy and vaguely jazzy "Sulphur & Sugarcane" lifts the mood somewhat, with a rich, bassy swing and good-time feel. This is a most catchy track, one of my favourites on here. "Red Cotton" is a tale of seafaring, trading out of the port of Liverpool and so on, sung over a folky banjo. An upbeat sound arrives with the Cajun strains of "The Crooked Line". Another good one. The solemn "Changing Partners" ends the album with a yearning, heartfelt country song.This is an unusual, rootsy country album but its tone is a little too mournful throughout, which is unusual for Costello albums, as he normally ups the pace more than just a few times in thirteen songs. If you are in a quiet mood, however, it does the trick.
P**8
Keins seiner stärksten Alben
Als langjähriger Costello-Fan (seit 1989), der alle Studioalben besitzt und fast alle auch mit 5 Sternen bewerten würde, war ich bei Erscheinen dieses Albums schon etwas enttäuscht, was weniger an dem Country/Bluegrass-Input liegt, sondern vielmehr am dargebotenen Songmaterial. So versammelt dieses Album bereits erschiene Songs wie Complicated Shadows und Stücke aus der unfertigen Andersen-Oper, so dass S, P & S eher wie ein Lückenfüller wirkt. Costello reicht hier selten an seine großen Songwriterqualitäten heran. Mir gefallen noch Red Cotton und She Was No Good am besten. Insgesamt aus meiner Sicht das schwächste Costello-Album, aber trotzdem noch 3 Sterne, weil auch ein schwächerer Costello besser ist als viele andere Singer/Songwriter. Als ich den Nachfolger "National Ransom" kaufte, hatte ich schon Befürchtungen, eine vergleichbare Scheibe zu bekommen, da vom gleichen Produzenten und im gleichen Stil. Dieses Album ist jedoch Gott sei Dank um Längen besser als S, P & S, weil hier Costello hier wieder echte Songperlen bietet. Secret, Profane und Sugarcane sei Elvis somit als Durchhänger verziehen!
L**R
Excellent album
Elvis Costello is fantastic, this album is one of his best.
W**O
コステロの音楽的才能には頭が下がります！
Elvis Costelloの新作「Secret, Profane & Sugarcane 」は、評判通りの素晴らしい作品であった。ナッシュビルでで録音されたブルーグラスとルーツミュージックをテーマにしたこの作品は、コステロならではのセンスと歌が満喫できる見事な出来である。マンドリン、アコーディオン、ヴァイオリン、ウッドベースとナッシュビルの腕利きミュージシャンが参加しただけあり、非常に聴き応えがあり味のあるサウンドに仕上がっている。聴けば聴くほどに深みが増し、コステロの歌と相まって芳醇ともいえる音楽のコクが醸しださており流石と言える。どの曲も素晴らしいが、敢てピックアップするなら＃10は独特な曲風で素晴らしく、続く＃11ミドルテンポながらドラマチックな構成が良く、聴くものの気持ちを大いに高揚させる出来栄えである。近頃、ルーツミュージックをテーマにした作品が数多く発表されているが、コステロの作品は間違いなくベスト３に入る内容であろう。
冷**く
Oh brother!
聴いていて目の前に浮かんできたのは、コーエン兄弟の“オー・ブラザー！”の世界。音楽指揮は本作のプロデューサーであるT-ボーン・バーネットだから当たり前か。
J**Y
Amazing acoustic album from Elvis
The more I listen to this album the more I love it. It sounds like good old fashioned American music a la the "O Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack. I thought for sure that these were covers and was pleasantly surprised to see that they are not. I feel this is Elvis's best album since his early years. BUY THIS ALBUM! You will not regret it. Acoustic American music at its finest (even if it's by an englishman!)
