The River in Reverse
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Music CD Cover
Performer: Elvis CostelloPerformer: Allen Toussaint
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2006-06-06
Music Label: Verve Forecast
Soundtracks:
- On The Way Down
- Nearer To You
- Who's Gonna Help A Brother
- Sharpest Thorn
- Tears
- River In Reverse
- Freedom For The Stallion
- Broken Promise Land
- Ascension Day
- International Echo
- All These Things
- Wonder Woman
- Six Fingered Man
Free Music Notes for The River in Reverse
Free Music Review: An interesting pairing, but it's just not what it could have been.
Hit: 3 Stars
An interesting labor of love, THE RIVER IN REVERSE turns out to be a solid collaboration of styles without any significant surprises. Playing to the strengths of both artists, this collection of songs from both Costello and Toussaint has all the requisite sounds: slow haunting horns, jazz and blues tempos throughout, and heartfelt vocals from Costello making for a pretty, but ultimately, forgettable effort. After listening to this a number of times, I've yet to find a song that sticks with me after I walk away. The true collaborations between the two, like "International Echo" and "Six-Fingered Man" add some spice to the mix, but the overall effect is just, "This is OK," and I guess my high expectations for this going in didn't help. I was hoping this would meeting would bring out the best in both, but there is no sense of challenge here, just mutual respect, and that doesn't necessarily lead to the most exciting mixture of styles. THE RIVER IN REVERSE is a worthy effort, but not one that will get a lot of play on my system in the future.
The River in Reverse Poster
Some inspired music has arrived in the wake of Hurricane Katrina (mainly on New Orleans-themed benefit albums), but nothing as audaciously ambitious as this cross-generational collaboration between Crescent City mainstay Allen Toussaint and former British upstart turned adventurously eclectic veteran Elvis Costello. As a songwriter, producer, and arranger, Toussaint has been responsible for hits from artists ranging from Irma Thomas, Ernie K-Doe, and Lee Dorsey to the Pointer Sisters and Labelle. Costello, long a huge fan of Toussaint's music, sings relatively familiar fare such as "On Your Way Down" and "Freedom for the Stallion" from Toussaint's extensive songbook along with obscurities mainly recorded by Dorsey. Toussaint supplies his distinctive piano and horn arrangements--as well as lead vocals on "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?"--with Costello's Imposters serving as the rhythm section. Yet the real revelation comes from the new material, including the title track (a searing Costello composition in the Toussaint soul-spiritual mode) and five new Costello/Toussaint compositions that spotlight Toussaint's signature sound without diminishing Costello's creative contributions. What could have been a curiosity is instead a hallmark in the catalog of each artist. --Don McLeeseThe River in Reverse is Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint's spirited and deeply soulful new album, including seven songs from Toussaint's remarkable catalog; five newly written by the two; and one new song, the title track, written by Costello. Sessions for the album took place over a whirlwind two weeks late last year in Hollywood, CA and at Piety Street Studios in Toussaint's hometown of New Orleans. Produced by Joe Henry, the album masterfully combines Costello's band the Imposters with Toussaint's horn section (Amadee Castenell, Joe Smith, Sam Williams, and Brian Cayolle) and guitarist (Anthony Brown).Toussaint led the ensemble from the piano, with Imposters keyboard player Steve Nieve switching to Hammond B3. The majority of the tracks were cut with the entire group in the room and Costello singing live, occasionally adding his guitar to the mix. Costello selected songs from deep within the Toussaint catalogue such as "Nearer To You," "Freedom for the Stallion," and "Tears, Tears and More Tears." Toussaint kicks off the lead vocal on his composition, "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?" and trades vocal lines with Costello and bassist Davey Faragher on several other tracks.All of the horn arrangements are marked with Toussaint's distinctive style and, commented Costello, "add a second voice" to the title track, the one song that Costello wrote alone. Just before the recording began, the duo holed up in New York to write together throughout October, a quick-moving process that resulted in four songs on the album of various combinations of words and music.The songwriting collaboration began with Costello writing lyrics for Toussaint's beautiful minor key variation of Professor Longhair's "Tipitina." The resulting piece is now entitled "Ascension Day." Other new titles include "The Sharpest Thorn," "Broken Promise Land," and "International Echo."Toussaint previously produced a 1983 Costello cover of Yoko Ono's "Walking on Thin Ice" with the Attractions and the T.K.O. Horns, and also contributed piano to the New Orleans-recorded "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror" from Costello's 1989 album Spike.Immediately following Hurricane Katrina, Toussaint relocated to New York City, where the two renewed their musical friendship at several benefit concerts and club gigs during a seven-day period from the 17th of September, leading to discussions of this new album. The powerful song "The River in Reverse" was written by Costello on September 24th, 2005, and performed by him for the first time at that night's "Parting the Waters" benefit event organized by the The New Yorker magazine.
More Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint
 King of America Elvis Costello |  Imperial Bedroom Elvis Costello & the Attractions |  Painted from Memory Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach |
 The Wild Sound of New Orleans: The Complete 'Tousan' Sessions Allen Toussaint |  Finger Poppin' and Stompin' Feet: 20 Classic Allen Toussaint Productions for Minit Records 1960-1962 Various Artists |  Connected Allen Toussaint |
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