Elvis Costello followed up the disappointing North just a year later, with 2004’s The Delivery Man. And where North felt stilted and mannered, the new album was bursting with energy.

Another of Costello’s half-baked concept albums, The Delivery Man purports to be the story of the title character and his relationships with three different women. Those women are played on the album by Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris, each of whom duets on at least one track. The narrative is really quite flimsy, though, as if Costello abandoned the idea midway through recording.

But that doesn’t matter, because the songs themselves are terrific. Leaning heavily on roots rock, Americana and country influences, Costello delivered one of his best sounding records and one of his richest. It hits you in the gut before the head.

‘Country Darkness’ is a slow-burning soul song infused with that great Muscle Shoals sound that Costello has dabbled in over the years. The provocative lyrics are a little easier to deconstruct than much of his work. Perhaps the delivery man’s narrative provided Costello more structure and direction lyrically, and bravo if it did.

I particularly like this verse: “He thought of traveling, heard an approaching train drown out his desperate pulse — a song with no refrain.” A powerful image made all the more effective because I know what the hell he’s talking about for a change.