Best Elvis Album since...
I love this record. For my entertainment dollar (as Letterman might say),I think it's the best rockin' Elvis album since the '80s (trust, taking liberties, and imperial bedroom come to mind).

Granted we love the softer side of Elvis at my house, too, be it Kodak, work with Burt B., or North -- this album brings Elvis back to his punk/new wave roots. More recent rocking efforts have been interesting -- say, Delivery Man, All This Useless Beauty, and so on, but MOMOFUKU was a delightful suprising return to brighter days.

Thank you, Mr. MacManus, for continually reinventing yourself but also for celebrating a particular gift you have, too.

An Exciting Throwback
Even though I form my own independent opinion of a recording, I find it useful to mull previous reviews and listen to an album again before I write mine because sometimes others point out important aspects of that album which I had missed. That is especially true when an album has generated so much critical excitement as has Momofuku.
An English music magazine I read heralded this as a throwback to the days when Elvis Costello was a new and exciting force on the music scene. And on many cuts, that judgement is spot on. But on other cuts, Costello shows a mature and reflective side that harks not back to My Aim Is True and This Year's Model, but to the days of Imperial Bedroom and King of America.
For the benefit of those who haven't heard Momofuku yet, the following songs will take you back to the mood of Costello's earliest days: The superb American Gangster Time, Drum and Bone, Stella Hurt, Mr Feathers, and Go Away. His more sensitive side asserts itself on Flutter and Wow and on My Three Sons. One reviewer found that last one corny, but you have to admit Costello has a way with words. As good as most of the album is, my personal favorites are Harry Worth and the aforementioned Stella Hurt.
I have been an Elvis Costello fan since he appeared on the scene, but I can't claim to have heard all his albums. In recent years, he has embarked on a variety of projects that were personal flights of fancy and many of those have yielded mixed results. Momofuku marks an exciting throwback to the style of music for which most of us became Elvis Costello fans in the first place. Don't miss this one!

Disappointed...
Frankly, I am disappointed. However, I do give him credit for variety. Yes, I hear "Burt", early 80's, Blood and Chocolate, etc....but the nah, nah, nah's were a huge turn off...(and please, let Jenny Lewis do her own stuff) and I know "my three sons" is touching, but - again - can anyone say "corny"! Gone are the days when I would listen to an Elvis CD day and night for months on end....I may pull this one out in 2010. After 30 years I may finally have to move on...DCFC anyone? Too bad, I've been a life long fan.

More Elvis Costello Please
This is a very good album. Any fan of Elvis Costello's should definitely enjoy it. For people who are new to his music I would recommend "When I was Cruel" first.

A Very Good Album
Momofuku is a very good album. A little bit of everything. Its hard for Elvis to match some of his early stuff, but this one comes pretty close. Any EC fan will like this one, but I think it will appeal to more than just the hardcore fans... 'Why don't you come back baby, why don't you go away'