With Almost Blue, Elvis Costello wanted to be a honky tonker.
With Kojak Variety, he's a crooner, picking forgotten tunes by both minor and major artists (anyone from Screamin' Jay Hawkins to Bob Dylan).
From his song selections to the pseudo-avant-rock/R&B band, Costello doesn't make any obvious moves.
Yet that doesn't mean that the record is difficult -- it just shows the depths of Costello's affection for music and record collecting (which is also clear from his loving, detailed liner notes).
Costello and his band (featuring guitarists James Burton and Marc Ribot, drummer Jim Keltner and Attraction Pete Thomas) play with gusto, tearing through the songs with the vigor of a bar band on a Friday night.
Some of the rockers sound slightly forced, although there's no denying the power of Costello's passionate vocals, even if he stretches his range a little too much (Little Richard's "Bama Lama Bama Loo").
What matters here are the performances, and the majority of Kojak Variety is filled with fine interpretations.
Kojak Variety does what any good covers album should do -- it makes you want to seek out the originals.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | StrangeWalter Hawkins | Elvis Costello | Play | 02:42 | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| 2 | Hidden CharmsWillie Dixon | Elvis Costello | Play | 03:33 | 8 MB | 18 MB |
| 3 | Remove This DoubtLamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Eddie Holland | Elvis Costello | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 4 | I Threw It All AwayBob Dylan | Elvis Costello | Play | 03:26 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 5 | Leave My Kitten AloneJames McDougal, Titus Turner | Elvis Costello | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 6 | PaydayJesse Winchester | Elvis Costello | Play | 03:00 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 7 | Please StayBurt Bacharach, Hal David | Elvis Costello | Play | 04:51 | 11 MB | 25 MB |
| 24 mins | 56 MB | |||||
| 24 mins | 141 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Ahlert | Composer |
| 2 | Mose Allison | Composer |
| 3 | Bill Anderson | Composer |
| 4 | Burt Bacharach | Composer |
| 5 | Drew Baker | Composer |
| 6 | James Burton | Guest Artist, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Rhythm) |
| 7 | Elvis Costello | Harmonica, Liner Notes, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals |
| 8 | Hal David | Composer |
| 9 | Ray Davies | Composer |
| 10 | Willie Dixon | Composer |
| 11 | Lamont Dozier | Composer |
| 12 | Bob Dylan | Composer |
| 13 | Walter Hawkins | Composer |
| 14 | Brian Holland | Composer |
| 15 | Eddie Holland | Composer |
| 16 | Jim Keltner | Drums |
| 17 | Kevin Killen | Engineer, Producer |
| 18 | Larry Knechtel | Organ (Hammond), Piano, Piano (Electric) |
| 19 | Dani McCormick | Composer |
| 20 | James McDougal | Composer |
| 21 | Randy Newman | Composer |
| 22 | Ray Noble | Composer |
| 23 | Richard Penniman | Composer |
| 24 | Marc Ribot | Banjo, Guest Artist, Guitar (Classical), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Rhythm), Horn |
| 25 | Kay Rogers | Composer |
| 26 | Jerry Scheff | Bass |
| 27 | Pete Thomas | Drums |
| 28 | Titus Turner | Composer |
| 29 | Jesse Winchester | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |