This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
When John Wesley Harding puts out a record, I bet Elvis Costello’s ears start burning.
For more than a decade, the British folk-pop singer-songwriter has been compared to the British post-punk legend. Chiefly because they both have vaguely similar voices and are eloquently witty tunesmiths — though Harding didn’t help his case by working with Costello’s band a few years back. In a perfect world, his superlative eighth studio album Adam’s Apple would put an end to these comparisons, but hey, you know where we live. As usual, Harding has produced a set of sterling pop brimming with sharp hooks, smart lyrics and superbly crafted arrangements that remind you of (yes) mid-period Elvis with a tad less irony. He may not break new ground here, but on the plus side, even Elvis doesn’t write ’em like this anymore. If he keeps it up long enough, people might start to say Costello sounds like John Wesley Harding.
