Uncut (p.84) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's dense and sometimes obscure. The highpoint is 'Bullets For The Newborn King', a sweet lament written from the viewpoint of a regretful assassin." Billboard (p.34) - "Assigning a time and place to each song, from the early 20th century to present day, Costello and company kick hard on the Wall Street-skewering title track 'Five Small Words' and 'The Spell That You Cast.'" Mojo (Publisher) (p.103) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[The tracks] evince Costello's usual range of pungent moods, styles, and enjoyably angular writing, words and tunes." Paste (magazine) - "NATIONAL RANSOM reveals that Costello is still a powerhouse writer. Whether he's offering beautifully rich character portraits or some of the clever wordplay fans have come to expect from him, it's clear that after three decades he can still pen a hell of a tune." Record Collector (magazine) (p.75) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[H]ere Costello is in an eclectic mood, all jazz torch on 'You Hung The Moon,' vaudevillian biographer on 'Jimmie Standing In The Rain,' and raging preacher of doom on 'Church Underground.'"

Rovi