Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint: Hot As a Pistol, Keen As a Blade
Elvis Costello has had numerous collaborators over the years, in genres ranging from classical (the Brodsky Quartet, mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie Von Otter) to jazz (pianists Marian McPartland and Diana Krall, Costello's wife) to pop (Burt Bacharach), but his partnership with New Orleans pianist-arranger-producer-songwriter Allen Toussaint has to rank among the most fruitful. Having worked together in the past (on a track for a Yoko Ono tribute project, weirdly enough), the two joined forces again in 2005 for Hurricane Katrina relief concerts; a CD (The River in Reverse) followed, as well as an '06 tour, during whichHot as a Pistol, Keen as a Bladewas recorded in Montreal. They certainly had a lot of resources to draw on. Costello's Imposters are the rhythm section, while Toussaint brought along the Crescent City Horns; and considering the amount of available material, including new compositions as well as numerous items from their respective catalogues, it's a wonder that they were able to pare down the songlist to the 25 performed here. It's all rather righteous, but Elvis' songs are a revelation; as was the case with the Band'sRock of Ages, one of the great live albums, Toussaint's arrangements breathe new life into old favorites like "Pump it Up" (a killer riff made all the more so by the horns) and "Alison" (given an almost classical horn-woodwind intro), as well as "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror" (fromSpike), perhaps the most deeply soulful tune of the whole show. Mix in Toussaint offerings like "A Certain Girl," "Yes We Can Can" (the Pointer Sisters hit), and "Fortune Teller," all bona fide rock 'n' soul classics, and we're looking at a near embarrassment of riches. The audio mix is disconcerting, sounding as if a couple of mikes were placed at the back of the hall instead of onstage, but by and large, the music transcends. Extras include a Costello-Toussaint interview but little else of much interest.--Sam Graham