Elvis Costello has followed his musical curiosity in a career spanning more than 28 years. He is perhaps best known for his performances with The Attractions, The Imposters and for concert appearances with pianist, Steve Nieve. His recordings include 'This Year's Model', 'Imperial Bedroom', 'King of America', 'Blood and Chocolate', 'Spike', 'All This Useless Beauty', "When I Was Cruel", "North" and "The Delivery Man'. However, he has also entered into acclaimed collaborations with Burt Bacharach, The Brodsky Quartet, Paul McCartney, Swedish mezzo-soprano, Anne Sofie von Otter, guitarist, Bill Frisell, composer, Roy Nathanson, The Charles Mingus Orchestra and record producer and songwriter, T Bone Burnett.

 

During his career Costello has received several prestigious honours, including two Ivor Novello Awards for songwriting, a Dutch Edison Award with The Brodsky Quartet for The Juliet Letters, the Nordoff-Robbins Silver Clef Award, a BAFTA for the music written with Richard Harvey for Alan Bleasdale's television drama series, 'G.B.H.' and a Grammy for 'I Still Have That Other Girl' from his 1998 collaboration with Burt Bacharach, Painted From Memory.

 

Elvis Costello and The Attractions were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. During the same year he was awarded ASCAP's prestigious Founder's Award. There have also been a number of Grammy nominations for his recent albums When I Was Cruel and The Delivery Man.

 

In 2004 Costello was nominated for an Oscar for Best Song 'The Scarlet Tide", sung by Alison Krauss in the motion picture, Cold Mountain. The song was co-written with T Bone Burnett.

 

The River In Reverse was recorded in two weeks and produced by Joe Henry. Sessions began at Sunset Sound, Hollywood and concluded at Piety Street Studios in New Orleans. It is thought to be one of the first major recording project to take place in the city since the Katrina disaster. The album will include renditions of a number of songs from the Toussaint catalogue, including "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?" and "Freedom for the Stallion".

 

The title track is one of the recent Costello compositions to feature a characteristic Toussaint horn arrangement. "Ascension Day" is Toussaint's beautiful minor key variation of Professor Longhair's "Tipitiina" with new words by Costello, while "International Echo" is the work of both songwriters.