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Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and The Roots are always looking for the next frontier to drop their sounds on. Besides their own studio albums, the versatile Philly-based band has already committed their labor of love on full-length records for Al Green, Betty Wright, John Legend and Booker T. Jones. Because of the banner they wear for being one of the hottest bands to ever grace late-night TV, their elbows tend to rub off on a wide variety of musical giants. For that reason alone, no one should be surprised to see them pairing up with Elvis Costello on their joint effort, Wise Up Ghost.
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and The Roots are always looking for the next frontier to drop their sounds on. Besides their own studio albums, the versatile Philly-based band has already committed their labor of love on full-length records for Al Green, Betty Wright, John Legend and Booker T. Jones. Because of the banner they wear for being one of the hottest bands to ever grace late-night TV, their elbows tend to rub off on a wide variety of musical giants. For that reason alone, no one should be surprised to see them pairing up with Elvis Costello on their joint effort, Wise Up Ghost.
On the surface it seems like a weird combination: Costello, the Brit singer/songwriter with the thrifty vocabulary, has pickled through pop, rock, punk, Americana and New Wave with ease. But, let’s rewind back to his critically acclaimed, 1980 album, Get Happy!! Back then, you can hear the former front man for The Attractions and The Imposters actually dressing himself up in retro soul and firing up a slate of funky grooves. Costello doesn’t exactly turn back the hands of time on this effort, but he does whisk through a few leftovers from ?uestlove’s drum kit. “Wake Me Up” walks through Barry White bass lines (see “Playing Your Game, Baby”), while “Refuse to Be Saved” places Costello on Lenny Kravitz’s funk while phrasing the verses like a rapping Bob Dylan. They are also a few ear-candy treats aboard, particularly when the band show off a slice of slick hip-hop on “Cinco Minutos Con Vos.” As Costello sings in a subdued, lo-fi tone about spending “five minutes with you,” vocal guest La Marisoul joins in with flirty Spanish lyrics. “Viceroy’s Row” proves to also be rewarding to the ear as it teases with the Roots’ neo-soul conventions and exposes more of Costello’s gloomy narrative art: “And they’re gathering flowers/In the crack of hours where all of the nightmares go.”
Soon thereafter, the frailties of the album become apparent. For the wine tasters searching for good vibes, the album isn’t bad for breezy walks in urban castles, but many of the grooves seem a bit one-dimensional when placed beneath Costello’s long-windedness. Often times it feels as if Costello stumbled upon a band jam rehearsal tape and tried to make the best of the best using his unique storytelling style. You can sort of feel that panicked urgency when he tries to turn the doo-wop ballad “Tripwire” into what could be a dreamy love fest. However, once the chorus makes its presence known, you hear the lack of imagination there. For The Roots, they will definitely pick up cool points for the venture. Unfortunately, Costello doesn’t necessarily break anything new on this record. If anything, it appears he’s just trying to revamp his sound around new blood before he’s totally immersed in a world of old-school castaways. Costello could have thwarted off that looming fear had Black Thought spat a few rap lines alongside him. Modestly recommended.
By J. Matthew Cobb