National Ransom is a studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released on 25 October 2010 (2 November in the US) through the Hear Music label. It was recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles with American songwriter and producer T Bone Burnett.[10] The album's cover art is made by Maakies creator Tony Millionaire.
| National Ransom | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 25 October 2010 | |||
| Genre | Alternative country, roots rock | |||
| Length | 62:33 | |||
| Label | Hear Music/Universal | |||
| Producer | T Bone Burnett | |||
| Elvis Costello chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The A.V. Club | B+[2] |
| Consequence of Sound |  [3] |
| Mojo | [4] |
| PopMatters |   [5] |
| Rolling Stone | [6] |
| Slant Magazine | [7] |
| Spin | [8] |
| Uncut | [9] |
Featured musicians include Costello's recent backing bands The Imposters and The Sugarcanes, while the album also includes guest appearances by Vince Gill, Marc Ribot, Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale and Leon Russell.
The album was positively received by critics, earning a score of 79/100 on the review aggregate website Metacritic.
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Elvis Costello, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "National Ransom" | 4:05 | |
| 2. | "Jimmie Standing in the Rain" | 4:15 | |
| 3. | "Stations of the Cross" | 4:58 | |
| 4. | "A Slow Drag with Josephine" | 2:43 | |
| 5. | "Five Small Words" | 4:45 | |
| 6. | "Church Underground" | 5:02 | |
| 7. | "You Hung the Moon" | 3:55 | |
| 8. | "Bullets for the New-Born King" | 3:35 | |
| 9. | "I Lost You" |
| 2:56 |
| 10. | "Dr. Watson, I Presume" | 3:41 | |
| 11. | "One Bell Ringing" | 3:37 | |
| 12. | "The Spell That You Cast" | 2:32 | |
| 13. | "That's Not the Part of Him You're Leaving" | 4:43 | |
| 14. | "My Lovely Jezebel" |
| 2:31 |
| 15. | "All These Strangers" |
| 5:53 |
| 16. | "A Voice in the Dark" | 3:34 | |
| 17. | "I Hope" (iTunes/Japan CD bonus track) |
| 3:33 |
National Ransack EP
editOriginally a digital download was given away with orders for the album. The EP was later released separately on 10-inch vinyl.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Poor Borrowed Dress" |
| 2:32 |
| 2. | "Condemned Man" | 4:18 | |
| 3. | "Big Boys Cry" | Eddy Raven | 3:45 |
| 4. | "I Don't Want to Go Home" | 3:00 |
Personnel
edit- Dennis Crouch – double bass
- Davey Faragher – Fender Precision electric bass
- Pete Thomas – drums
- Marc Ribot – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo
- Buddy Miller – harmony vocals
- Jerry Douglas – lap steel guitar
- Mike Compton – mandolin, harmony vocals
- Vince Gill – harmony vocals
- Jim Lauderdale – harmony vocals
- Steve Nieve – Vox Continental organ, Hammond organ, celesta
- T Bone Burnett – reverse piano, Gretsch Black Falcon electric guitar
- Jeff Taylor – piano, accordion
- Stuart Duncan – electric violin, zither, electric viola
- Dave Eggar – cello
- Darrell Leonard – trumpet, flugelhorn
- George Bohanon – trombone
- Ira Nepus – trombone
- Tom Peterson – baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
- Maurice Spears – bass trombone
- Andrew Duckles – viola
- Matt Funes – viola
- Caroline Campbell – violin
- Lucia Micarelli – violin
- Neel Hammond – violin
- Radu Pieptea – violin
- Bruce Dukov – violin, concertmaster
- Mike Piersante – shaker
- Elvis Costello – Gibson L-00 acoustic guitar, Fender Telecaster electric guitar, Ampeg AEB-1 bass guitar, reverse piano, Farfisa organ, lead vocals, harmony vocals, whistling
Charts
edit| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[11] | 38 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[12] | 116 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[13] | 86 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[14] | 71 |
| US Billboard 200[15] | 39 |
References
edit- ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine (2 November 2010). "National Ransom - Elvis Costello | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
- ^ Murray, Noel (2 November 2010). "Elvis Costello: National Ransom · Music Review · The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
- ^ Melis, Matt (3 November 2010). "Elvis Costello – National Ransom | Album Reviews". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
- ^ Sutcliffe, Phil (November 2010). "A Changing Man: Elvis Costello National Ransom". Mojo. p. 103.
- ^ Tebo, Daniel. "Elvis Costello: National Ransom". PopMatters. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
- ^ Will Hermes (1 November 2010). "National Ransom | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
- ^ "Elvis Costello: National Ransom | Music Review". Slant Magazine. 25 October 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
- ^ Wood, Mikael. "Elvis Costello, 'National Ransom' Review". Spin. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
- ^ McKay, Alastair (November 2010). "Elvis Costello: National Ransom". Uncut. No. 162. p. 84.
- ^ "Elvis Costello and The Roots - Wise Up Ghost". Elviscostello.com. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Elvis Costello – National Ransom" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "デクラン・マクマナスのアルバム売上ランキング". Oricon. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Elvis Costello – National Ransom". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Elvis Costello Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
External links
edit- National Ransom at Discogs (list of releases)
- Nationalransom.com