Elvis Costello and The Roots have released a collaborative album entitled Wise Up Ghost on Blue Note Records. Long-rumored and shrouded in mystery, this collaborative album between Elvis Costello and The Roots promises to be one of the most unexpected and surprising releases of 2013. Costello has collaborated with a host of artists over the years including Allen Toussaint, Paul McCartney and Burt Bacharach among others. As the house band on 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon', The Roots adapt to others on a regular basis, working with a different musical guest on every show.
The existence of the project was first revealed by The Roots leader Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson as an aside during an interview with Billboard Magazine in January. A small number of test pressings were distributed as white labels on Record Store Day on the 20th of April.
Most of the sessions took place in secret at Feliz Habitat Studios in
the dead of night, while others were in plain sight at Costello’s
Hookery Crookery Studios. Elvis described the record as “the shortest
distance between here and there” and containing “both rhythm and what is
read”. Ahmir says, “It's a moody, brooding affair, cathartic rhythms and
dissonant lullabies. I went stark and dark on the music, Elvis went HAM
on some ole Ezra Pound shit.”
In addition to the fabulous Roots crew and friends, the record features
a guest vocal appearance on “Cinco Minutos Con Vos” from La Marisoul,
lead singer of the Los Angeles group, La Santa Cecilia.
The album was produced by longtime Roots associate, Steven Mandel
together with Elvis Costello, and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.
KSUT will feature 'Wise Up Ghost' in its entirety on Friday 9/20 at noon.