This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
CRUEL SMILE was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album.
CRUEL SMILE is a limited-edition companion piece to Elvis Costello's other 2002 release WHEN I WAS CRUEL, which was a return to rock-oriented tunes after dalliances with Anne Sofie Von Otter and Burt Bacharach. The main ties to WHEN I WAS CRUEL are a handful of live recordings of songs from that album and some remixed versions. Beyond those, CRUEL SMILE lives and breathes on its own, offering "When I Was Cruel No. 1," where it's predecessor contained only "No. 2," which is an entirely different composition. Elvis covers the Charlie Chaplin chestnut "Smile" in two different versions, includes live versions of some of his own classics like "Watching the Detectives" and "Uncomplicated," and offers the previously unheard song "Oh Well." It's recommended that you pick up WHEN I WAS CRUEL first, but even as a stand-alone effort, CRUEL SMILE is quite the engaging endeavor.
