Depending on your opinion on his music, you'll either like or hate the new album from Elvis Costello.  With "Secret, Profane and Sugarcane" Elvis gives a big glimpse into his deep affinity for the iconic roots music of the American south.  Elvis may be from Liverpool, England but he's long had a heart for Country/Americana music and it really shows on this record that's produced by T. Bone Burnett, an icon himself who is perhaps best noted as the man behind the "O Brother Where Art Thou?" soundtrack from early in this decade. The songs on "Secret, Profane and Sugarcane" are largely acoustic affairs with soft arrangements and while Elvis' crooning vocal style doesn't always work on the album, it really works on tracks like Loretta Lynn's "I Felt the Chill Before the Winter Came" and "My All Time Doll." 

Other standouts on "Secret, Profane and Sugarcane" include the bluegrass stomper "Hidden Stomp," the midtempo "I Dreamed Of My Old Lover" the fiddle and banjo laced "The Crooked Line"  and the gloriously sweet "Changing Partners."  Elvis Costello will never be confused with a high-tenor vocalist like Ricky Skaggs or Bill Monroe and while this record isn't for everyone, those who do enjoy expertly played roots music and Elvis Costello will certainly appreciate "Secret, Profane and Sugarcane."

You can support Elvis Costello by purchasing this album at iTunes | Amazon.