12.20.2018
40 NEW CHRISTMAS ALBUMS, REVIEWED
Rolling Stone: Connor Ratliff: December 11th 2018
No 35 Elvis Costello & The Imposters: ‘Look Now’
TITLE: Wait, I know what you’re thinking: “Didn’t you just say that Elvis Costello has never made a Christmas album?” Yes, it’s true, this is not a Christmas album, in any way, shape or form. But bear with me, I think there is a good reason to include this one anyway. Oh, and it’s not a title track. (Though there is a song called “Don’t Look Now” which is a clever variant, almost a negated title track.)COVER ART: Painted by Costello, under his painting pseudonym, “Eamonn Singer” which I think is a pun derived from his debut album’s title (“Aimin’ Singer”). And guess what, the two main colors are green and red, so this non-holiday album just got a little more Christmas-y. It certainly beats sitting in a white room on a sofa or in a blue room on a chair.
LISTENING: This is one of the best albums of Costello’s long career, a stunning collection of what he describes as “uptown pop.” But the reason I am including it on this list is that it has a song which I think could become a stealthy Christmas classic. The closing track, co-written with Burt Bacharach, is called “He’s Given Me Things.” It is about a woman who settles for a life with a man she doesn’t love because of his wealth. However, if you pretend that the “he” of the title is referring to Santa Claus, it comes THIS close to being one of the most remarkable Christmas songs you’ve ever heard.