Elvis Costello and The Roots

Wise Up Ghost And Other Songs (Blue Note/Universal)

Elvis Costello and The Roots started connecting the dots on this project during EC’s various appearances on the Jimmy Fallon show where The Roots are the house band. A serial collaborator Costello would drop by 30 Rock in NYC to record in The Roots dressing room. This reviewer has to admit that a certain Costello fatigue set in about ten years ago. A big problem was his voice. Thankfully Elvis has reverted back to how he used to sing: more snarls and less vibrato. The tunes were written as collaboration and there’s a hip-hop vibe throughout with Costello’s thesaurus on top. With Questlove on the kit the album grooves from the outset. Highlights include Walk Us Uptown, Tripwire and the quieter If I Could Believe. The whole thing sounds like an old school album: you want to hear it from start to finish… forget picking out singles. Fresh and immediate, conversely the appeal starts to wane after repeat listens. It’s that fatigue with Elvis’ voice again … but, while it lasts, it’s a helluva trip.

[rating: 4:5]

Mitchell Peters