The Boy Named If is the 32nd studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello and The Imposters. The album was released on 14 January 2022 by EMI Records and Capitol Records.[2][3]
| The Boy Named If | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Elvis Costello and The Imposters | ||||
| Released | 14 January 2022 | |||
| Recorded | 2021 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:58 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
| |||
| Elvis Costello and The Imposters chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Boy Named If | ||||
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The Boy Named If received critical acclaim and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.[4]
Content
editThe album's first single, "Magnificent Hurt" was released on October 27, 2021. Stereogum's Tom Breihan described the track as a "a straight-up rocker" and compared it to his late 70s work.[5]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 83/100[6] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| American Songwriter | [7] |
| Classic Rock |  [8] |
| Paste | 7.8/10[9] |
| Pitchfork | 7.5/10[10] |
| Slant Magazine | [11] |
The Boy Named If received positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 83, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 14 reviews.[6] Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that The Boy Named If was Costello's "purest doses of rock and roll since maybe Blood & Chocolate (1986)".[1]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Elvis Costello
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Farewell, OK" | 2:54 |
| 2. | "The Boy Named If" | 4:24 |
| 3. | "Penelope Halfpenny" | 2:57 |
| 4. | "The Difference" | 3:45 |
| 5. | "What If I Can't Give You Anything But Love?" | 4:03 |
| 6. | "Paint the Red Rose Blue" | 4:46 |
| 7. | "Mistook Me for a Friend" | 4:13 |
| 8. | "My Most Beautiful Mistake" | 4:47 |
| 9. | "Magnificent Hurt" | 3:13 |
| 10. | "The Man You Love to Hate" | 4:53 |
| 11. | "The Death of Magic Thinking" | 3:31 |
| 12. | "Trick Out the Truth" | 4:53 |
| 13. | "Mr. Crescent" | 3:39 |
| Total length: | 51:58 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Truth Drug" | 1:41 |
| Total length: | 53:45 | |
Personnel
editMusicians
- Elvis Costello – vocals, guitar (all tracks); piano (6)
- Davey Faragher – additional vocals, bass (all tracks); upright bass (12)
- Pete Thomas – drums, percussion
- Steve Nieve – keyboards, piano
- Sebastian Krys – background vocals (3, 4)
- Nicole Atkins – vocals (8)
Technical
- Elvis Costello – production
- Sebastian Krys – production, mixing, engineering
- Brian Lucey – mastering
- Daniel Galindo – engineering
- Ron Taylor – engineering
- Dex Green – recording (8)
Charts
edit| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[13] | 47 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14] | 20 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[15] | 149 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] | 41 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[17] | 55 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[18] | 1 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] | 15 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[20] | 6 |
| US Billboard 200[21] | 200 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[22] | 34 |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Elvis Costello, Elvis Costello & the Imposters - the Boy Named if Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ "The Boy Named If by Elvis Costello & The Imposters". Music.apple.com. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ Althea Legaspi (27 October 2021). "Elvis Costello & the Imposters Preview 'The Boy Named If' LP With New Song". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ Lee, Taila (15 November 2022). "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". Grammys.com. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (27 October 2021). "Elvis Costello and the Imposters 'Magnificent Hurt'". Stereogum. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ a b "Elvis Costello & the Imposters - The Boy Named If". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Review: With His New Album, Elvis Reemerges as Classic Costello". American Songwriter. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ "Elvis Costello & The Imposters continue winning streak with The Boy Named If". Classic Rock. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Elvis Costello and The Imposters Show Their Fangs on Fiery Return to Form The Boy Named If". Paste. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ Soto, Alfred (19 January 2022). "Elvis Costello / The Imposters: The Boy Named If Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ "Elvis Costello The Boy Named If Review: An Adrenaline-Fueled Picture of Fleeting Youth". Slant Magazine. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ "ザ・ボーイ・ネームド・イフ [SHM-CD]" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Elvis Costello & the Imposters – The Boy Named If" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Elvis Costello & the Imposters – The Boy Named If" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Elvis Costello & the Imposters – The Boy Named If" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Elvis Costello & The Imposters – The Boy Named If" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 21 January 2022". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Elvis Costello & the Imposters – The Boy Named If". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ "Elvis Costello Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
- ^ "Elvis Costello Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
External links
edit- The Boy Named If at Discogs (list of releases)