Elvis Costello shows his country and classical sides with new CDs

Costello has worked in the classical field before.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Two very different sides of Elvis Costello will soon be on display.
On Sept. 21, he'll issue a country-soul CD, "The Delivery Man," which he recorded in the American South. The same day, he'll put out an orchestral piece, "Il Sogno," which he wrote for an Italian dance troupe's version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra.
There's a question Costello dreads when contemplating the public's reaction to two such dissimilar CDs.
"I would hate for people to listen to them and say, 'Which is the real you?'" he explains. "They're both the real me. It's all coming out of my head."
What hasn't come out of Costello's head?
Over the last few years, he has blossomed into the most broad-minded music-maker in contemporary pop. As his generation's Renaissance man, Costello has collaborated with a range of stars that includes Burt Bacharach, George Jones, mezzo-soprano Anne Sophie von Otter, Paul McCartney and, most recently, Diana Krall, whom Costello married last year.
Costello claims his rambling r & eacute;sum & eacute; isn't the product of any plot or ambition, but "arose naturally from the opportunities I've been given" and "from the people I wanted to work with."
Move to classical
He admits "Il Sogno" ("The Dream") is probably the biggest leap for fans who know him as "that guy who bangs a guitar and yells into a microphone."
But Costello has worked in the classical field before, on albums with the Brodsky Quartet ("The Juliet Letters") and Von Otter ("For the Stars"). He has also been writing orchestral pieces privately for years.
In assessing the debut performance of "Il Sogno" at Lincoln Center, the classical critic Terry Teachout wrote "not only does [it] work, it stands up pretty well to the inevitable comparisons with George Gershwin's concert music."
Undoubtedly, most fans will feel more comfortable with "The Delivery Man." Costello says the music explores "that place in the road where country and soul meet."
If forced to compare the CD with one of his earlier works, Costello likens it more to "King of America" than to his first all-country release, "Almost Blue." His role models on "The Delivery Man" include Southern songwriters like Dan Penn ("Do Right Woman") and Harland Howard ("I Fall to Pieces"). Costello even collaborated on "Either Side of the Same Town" with Jerry Ragovoy, who penned scores of soul touchstones, like "Piece of My Heart," made famous by Janis Joplin.
'Mobile' music
Costello cut the new music with his band, the Imposters, in as fast and simple a style as possible.
"The watchword for this album was 'mobile,'" he explains. "We wanted something that could be played by a band on a flatbed truck."
Costello's mirth mirrors his attitude in life. Having just turned 50, he claims to be happier than ever these days. He calls his marriage to Krall "fantastic. It's such a great thing to admire the person you love.
"I always thought adults were having much more fun than teenagers," he adds. "It turns out to be absolutely true."