John Hiatt - Slug Line (1979)

Holy shit, was John Hiatt really trying hard to sound like Elvis Costello here? He had to be, there is no way it's a coincidence how much this sounds almost exactly like This Year's Model-era Elvis, right down to the lots of words and excess of att-i-tude. There's even the obligatory reggae song here four tracks in. But I mean, as far as fake Elvis Costello goes, this is pretty good. Stripped-down and punchy new wave arrangements with memorable melodies and snotty vocals. Hiatt's always been a solid craftsman, but it's a bit alarming to hear him struggling to find his musical voice on this album. I wonder if the stylistic change here was him just following his muse or the record company's idea. Either way, it's a good time overall.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5MOm6Cer1iv1VmyJp2ArLz