Secret, Profane & Sugarcane

Secret, Profane & Sugarcane represents Elvis Costello's deep dive into the Americana and Bluegrass traditions, reuniting him with producer T-Bone Burnett for the first time since 1986's King of America. Recorded in just three days at Nashville's Sound Emporium Studio, the album features an elite acoustic ensemble including Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, and Mike Compton. The record is notable for its lack of electric instruments and drums, relying instead on the rhythmic drive of the upright bass and mandolin. The tracklist includes several songs originally written for other projects, including a collaboration with Johnny Cash ('Hidden Shame') and pieces from an unfinished opera about Hans Christian Andersen. Critics, including those at AllMusic, praised the album for its organic warmth and the seamless way Costello's sophisticated lyrical style fits within the traditional folk framework, noting it as one of his most focused and cohesive late-career efforts.