- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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MojoSongs terrific, band sensational, and -- big plus -- Costello's voice late-developing way beyond that pinched whine into an instrument of substance and character. [Oct 2004, p.97]
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Costello's most exciting album in ages.
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This is a classic Costello record... arguably his most cohesive, magnetic collection of songs since Blood & Chocolate and the highlight of his middle-age years.
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Entertainment WeeklyThe album delivers, all right, if not all the time. [24 Sep 2004, p.105]
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Welcome, worthy and wonderful.
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Rolling StoneEven the ballads... bristle with force. [28 Oct 2004, p.99]
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He sets tales of sexual double dealing and domestic violence to a sound somewhere between the two albums he made in 1986: the Americana of King Of America meeting the over-amplified rawness of Blood and Chocolate.
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It never feels as urgent as his prime work, but it's at once his most accomplished and visceral record as a veteran rocker.
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BlenderIt's Costello at his most emotionally direct. [Oct 2004, p.118]
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The Delivery Man is a solid, albeit slightly over-learned and patronizing, collection of bluesy rock.
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Staggered between full-on rockers like "Needle Time," "Theres A Story In Your Voice", and "Bedlam," the softer material sounds excessively genteel.
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Fortunately, the good songs outnumber the bad; unfortunately, the veteran Costello has made the rookie mistaking of frontloading the disc.
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Its been ages since hes sounded this self-assured, or this much at home.
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Often, Costello just sounds prissy and uptight in these more relaxed environs.
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It convincingly exhibits the breadth of affection Costello has for homegrown American musical forms, but lacks a tight-enough center to stand among his sturdier, more disciplined works.
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Q MagazineThere's still heart and soul in that funny old voice. [Nov 2004, p.118]
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The Delivery Man only sparks to life when it slows down.
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UncutA strong and lusty country-punk album placing him in Tom Waits or Neil Young territory. [Nov 2004, p.104]
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A collection of rehashed moments from his brilliant though patchy career, a sowed together patchwork of pastiche.
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Ultimately, in no uncertain terms, this Elvis sounds like an impersonator.
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[It] doesnt help in pinpointing the moment Costello veered into self-parody, but it does catalogue nearly everything thats become impossible to take about him.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 14 out of 15
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Mixed: 1 out of 15
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Negative: 0 out of 15
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ShawnJMay 4, 2005There are a couple of tunes that put me to sleep, but I can't stop listening to the others.
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ClaraCMar 27, 2005
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JoeyMOct 11, 2004