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National Ransom is the 2010 studio album by Elvis Costello. It was recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles with American songwriter and producer T Bone Burnett, and was released on 25 October 2010 (2 November in the US) on the Hear Music label.[10] The album was received positively, earning a score of 79/100 on the review aggregate website Metacritic.

National Ransom
Studio album by Elvis Costello
Released	25 October 2010
Genre	Alternative country, roots rock
Length	62:33
Label	Hear Music/Universal
Producer	T Bone Burnett
Elvis Costello chronology
Live at Hollywood High (2010) National Ransom (2010) Wise Up Ghost (2013)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The A.V. Club	B+[2]
Boom Boom Pop!	[3]
Consequence of Sound	[4]
Mojo	[5]
PopMatters	[6]
Rolling Stone	[7]
Slant Magazine	[8]
Spin	[9]

Featured musicians include Costello's recent backing bands The Imposters and The Sugarcanes, while the album also includes guest appearances by Vince Gill, Marc Ribot, Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale and Leon Russell.

The cover art is by Maakies creator Tony Millionaire.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Elvis Costello, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"National Ransom"		4:05
2.	"Jimmie Standing in the Rain"		4:15
3.	"Stations of the Cross"		4:58
4.	"A Slow Drag with Josephine"		2:43
5.	"Five Small Words"		4:45
6.	"Church Underground"		5:02
7.	"You Hung the Moon"		3:55
8.	"Bullets for the New-Born King"		3:35
9.	"I Lost You"	Costello Jim Lauderdale	2:56
10.	"Dr. Watson, I Presume"		3:41
11.	"One Bell Ringing"		3:37
12.	"The Spell That You Cast"		2:32
13.	"That's Not the Part of Him You're Leaving"		4:43
14.	"My Lovely Jezebel"	Costello T Bone Burnett Leon Russell	2:31
15.	"All These Strangers"	Costello Burnett	5:53
16.	"A Voice in the Dark"		3:34
17.	"I Hope" (iTunes/Japan CD bonus track)	Robert Charles Guidry Stanley Lewis	3:33

National Ransack EP

Originally a digital download was given away with orders for the album. The EP was later released separately on 10-inch vinyl.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Poor Borrowed Dress"	Costello Lauderdale	2:32
2.	"Condemned Man"		4:18
3.	"Big Boys Cry"	Eddy Raven	3:45
4.	"I Don't Want to Go Home"		3:00

Personnel

• Dennis Crouch – double bass
• Davey Faragher – Fender Precision electric bass
• Pete Thomas – drums
• Marc Ribot – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo
• Buddy Miller – harmony vocals
• Jerry Douglas – lap steel guitar
• Mike Compton – mandolin, harmony vocals
• Vince Gill – harmony vocals
• Jim Lauderdale – harmony vocals
• Steve Nieve – Vox Continental organ, Hammond organ, celesta
• T Bone Burnett – reverse piano, Gretsch Black Falcon electric guitar
• Jeff Taylor – piano, accordion
• Stuart Duncan – electric violin, zither, electric viola
• Dave Eggar – cello
• Darrell Leonard – trumpet, flugelhorn
• George Bohanon – trombone
• Ira Nepus – trombone
• Tom Peterson – baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
• Maurice Spears – bass trombone
• Andrew Duckles – viola
• Matt Funes – viola
• Caroline Campbell – violin
• Lucia Micarelli – violin
• Neel Hammond – violin
• Radu Pieptea – violin
• Bruce Dukov – violin, concertmaster
• Mike Piersante – shaker
• Elvis Costello – Gibson L-00 acoustic guitar, Fender Telecaster electric guitar, Ampeg AEB-1 bass guitar, reverse piano, Farfisa organ, lead vocals, harmony vocals, whistling

Charts

Chart (2010)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[11]	38
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[12]	116
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[13]	86
UK Albums (OCC)[14]	71
US Billboard 200[15]	39

References

External links

• National Ransom at Discogs (list of releases)
• Nationalransom.com

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