By the early '90s, Elvis Costello had forgotten more about songcraft and record production than most musicians would ever learn, earning him titles like "modern-day Gershwin." MIGHTY LIKE A ROSE is where he starts showing off his smarts. It's far and away Elvis' most elaborate effort, both in terms of composition and arrangement, making his collaboration with the Brodsky Quartet sound like a Ramones album. Aided by Mitchell Froom and innovative guitarist Marc Ribot, Costello turns out arty, harmonically sophisticated tunes that never go where you expect them to, either musically or lyrically. Ironically, it's the simplest tunes on what could fairly be called Costello's SERGEANT PEPPER that make the most impact, like the very Leonard Cohen-ish "After the Fall" and the elegant melancholy of the McCartney collaboration "So Like Candy."

Rovi