Elvis Costello

As part of the "Icons of Pop Music" series, this book looks at what made Costello such an icon. Griffiths (Oxford Brookes Univ., UK) documents Costello's rise to popularity since he emerged in the 1970s alternative pop/punk scene in London. To illustrate how Costello is unique among iconic musicians, the author looks in particular at how artists in prior decades influenced Costello's music and lyrical content. Griffiths analyzes Costello's music in a variety of ways: for example, he looks at Costello's approach to music, his vocal style, the crossover to classical music, his harmonics, and his poetic accomplishments (for the last, he uses a method created by Larry David Smith). Griffiths also considers Costello's lyrics, both the political and the romantic, and even inspects his liner notes on his own albums years after their initial release. Last, Griffiths scrutinizes those who have written about Costello's music, including prominent critics Nick Kent, Greil Marcus, and Robert Christgau. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; general readers.