Over the course of the decade preceding MOMOFUKU, the notoriously eclectic Elvis Costello made albums with everyone from jazz guitarist Bill Frisell to opera singer Anne-Sofie Von Otter, but with the inauguration of his band the Imposters (essentially the old Attractions with a new bassist) with 2002's WHEN I WAS CRUEL, it felt like a rock-&-roll rebirth for the old New Waver. His third Imposters album, MOMOFUKU, is the most expansive of the three, combining the gritty attack of its two predecessors with the knotty angularity of Costello's 1989 album, SPIKE. MOMOFUKU is front-loaded with straight-ahead rockers ("No Hiding Place," "American Gangster Time") that recall Costello's glory days with the Attractions, but soon enough he begins shifting methods and modes. The piano-led "Mr. Feathers" betrays a strong Beatles/Kinks influence, while "Harry Worth" bares an exotic aura and a laid-back bossa-nova-meets-Bond-film flavor. A musical magpie at heart, Costello can dazzle with diversity and get back to his roots at the same time.

• Genre: Pop
• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 04/22/2008