Call him Declan MacManus, Little Hands of Concrete, Napoleon Dynamite or in this case, "The Imposter". Whatever name he chooses to amuse himself with, CRUEL SMILE is a pleasant surpise. I had mixed feelings about WHEN I WAS CRUEL but in the end was won over by it's charms. Though I wouldn't call CRUEL SMILE essential, it's certainly an intruiging bag of oddities.

"Smile" pretty much sets the tone. Here's Costello at his most playful and his take on the Chaplin classic is a welcome relief from a past history of overwrought covers. Gone is the strained, pig squealing tenor. In it's place is a jaunty, mellow baritone, almost unrecognizable at first listen. The follow up, "When I Was Cruel (no.1)" is a gem and would have been at home on the crimminally underrated, ALL THIS USELESS BEAUTY.

In my humble opinion, "Almost Blue" is one the best songs Costello has ever penned and this gorgeous live version has him once again, crooning with powerful restraint. Less successful is the live medley of "Watching The Detectives/Funny Valentine" but you have to admire him for the attempt. That being said, you can't deny "Detectives" in any form even if it suddenly goes Rogers & Hart on you. On the live version of "Spooky Girlfriend" he's clearly having fun, tossing in ad libs like, "Congratulations, you all pass the audition" and concluding with an impish chuckle.

Though a few cuts could be considered self-indulgant rehashes of WHEN I WAS CRUEL, in many ways the experimentation pays off. The goofy rocker, "Doll Revolution" is transformed into a menacing chorale and on "Peroxide Cut" he ditches the catchy chorus of "Episode of Blonde" in favor of drawing out it's rap/hip hop side. I have to say, "15 Petals", "Dust" and the likes of "Honey House(Cruel no.2)" are a tad bit redundant in light of his recent album. Things pick up for me with a rare live offering of his one chord thrasher, "Uncomplicated". Though sweeter and mellower than the original, it's still a treat.

You don't have to read into things too deeply to realize his intention was to begin and end with a "Smile". Where the opener was more off the cuff, the string laden closer is a touch more maudlin but equally as effective. Just when you're ready to replay the disc, he manages to sneak in an unlisted version of "Soul For Hire". Who knows why? I suppose the whole album can be summed up in, "I had to follow my passion...Oh well". Though it think "whim" would be the more operative word here. For what it's worth, CRUEL SMILE is a nice little diversion and I think that's all it's meant to be. Fans beware.

I'm going to try and keep this review as short as possible - but Lord knows that once I get rolling there is no stopping me. I'm pretty confident that most casual-Costello fans won't know about this until it's been around for a while, but I know for sure that the hardcore fans (especially in the USA) were probably the first to purchase this "album" of "airshots, imposter remixes, studio mysteries, world tour highlights". Let's dance on the tracks now.

1. "Smile (a-side)" - A nice little diddy that can't help but make you think of "She" and all those other loungin' and jazzin' tunes.

2. "When I was Cruel (no.1)" - Finally we get to hear the first version of the enigmatic tune ("no.2"). I believe this cut is much more structured and just an all around beautiful Costello track.

3. "Almost Blue"(live in Sydney) - Hasn't always been my favorite song but this version truly is a great listen. The live audio is amazing.

4. "15 Petals"(live in Sydney) - One of the best songs from When I Was Cruel rocks even harder when performed live.

5. "Spooky Girlfriend"(live at KFOG) - great take on this already awesome song. This version breathes new life and if you haven't caught on by now - Elvis & the Imposters are harder rocking than you ever thought they would be.

6. "Honeyhouse (cruel no.2)" - a remix of "When I was Cruel No. 4". It doesn't drag like the original and the samples are absent. All in all it doesn't do much to stand out.

7. "revolution doll" - Great and innovative remix of "Tear off your own Head". It'll be stuck in your head before you know it. Trust me.

8. "peroxide side (blunt cut)" - I'm not exactly sure where the title comes from yet but this is one helluva remix of "episode of Blonde". My favorite track on the disc.

9. "oh well" - stand out track. Elvis up to his old tricks in this one.

10. "the imposter Vs the floodtide (dust and petals)" - a remix of dust and a fine one at that. These tunes just keep on grooving.

11. "watching the detectives/my funny valentine" (live in Tokyo) - hardcore fans will love this live version and for great reason. Once again - the Imposters rock.

12. "dust" (live in Melbourne) - this song . That's all I can say about it.

13. "Uncomplicated" (live in Tokyo) - the opening tune from Blood & Chocolate gets a face lift and sounds amazing.

14. "Smile (b-side)" - a more laid back, ballad-esque, and sleeping version. I prefer this one over the "(a-side)" mix.

Dah ha. And there's a bonus track of a "soul for hire" remix. Great stuff all around. You get a video of "45" with the Enhanced CD and for fans from the USA - this is a good way to get some b-sides and live tracks without having to pay the price for imports. A good puchase. Always great to see Elvis through broken glass and distorted noise.

I'm an A number 1 Elvis fan, so I would only caution that this CD will most likely be of interest to others like me. While the opening track "Smile" is brilliant, the rest of the CD you'll find a bit of a noisy hodgepodge that typifies Elvis' meanderings of late.

For those who have seen him live this year or heard performances on the radio, you will not be surprised by a lot of echo boxes and interpretive reworkings of old songs.

Like Prince, even a lesser Elvis tune is better than most artists on a good day. ;) So, Elvis fans, yes, add it to the collection. Casual listeners, stick to the A-list stuff.

Occasionally an artist releases something for the fans, alternate cuts, remixes, and live bits that fans will appreciate. That pretty much sums up CRUEL SMILE. Filled with bits and pieces from tours and the WHEN I WAS CRUEL CD this recording has a great alternate cut of "Spooky Girlfriend" that beats the original, "Watching the Detectives" and "Uncomplicated" (Two of my favorites) live and enough other songs of interest for the true fan. OK, we didn't need two takes of "Smile," and it really doesn't hold together as a typical CD; it's just a potpourri of current stuff that was probably lying around the studio. I'm glad he put it out, I'm getting a kick out of it, but I don't think it's for anyone who's not fan of EC.

I was reticent to buy a CD that contains "airshots", "imposter mixes", and live tracks. But, Cruel Smile is an excellent companion to the outstanding When I Was Cruel. The versions are significantly different and form a solid CD (much like Gorillaz vs. Spacemonkeyz). Highlights are the previously unavailable When I Was Cruel (No. 1), the driving Spooky Girlfriend (live), the reworked version of Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution), and an extended jam of Soul For Hire (bonus track).

Get it while it lasts. This is strictly limited edition. A must for all Elvis fans.

[DW]