Elvis Costello may be a revered pop craftsman, honing his acidic wordplay like a Brill Building master, but he plays with the agitated energy of a born outsider. His New Wave-era anthems like "Pump It Up" still deliver an ecstatic jolt, blending the sharp riffs of the British Invasion with the bounce of Motown. Of course, they're just the beginning of Costello's endlessly shape-shifting but always inimitable songbook. He's hidden remarkably biting lyrics under gorgeous soul melodies ("Alison"), explored psychedelia at its darkest edges ("Beyond Belief"), and even reinvented himself as a Nashville crooner ("Good Year for the Roses”).