Elvis Costello and The Roots are streaming their collaborative album, Wise Up Ghost, in full one week ahead of its release date (September 17 via Blue Note Records). Take a listen at NPR.



The project came to fruition following Costellos March 2012 appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, where The Roots serve as house band. It was really love at first sight, Questlove said of Costello in an interview with Billboard. The second time he came on, we surpassed the first one. So by the third time, he was like, Lets stop messing around and do something together.

The 15-track album was produced by longtime Roots associate Steven Mandel together with Costello and Questlove during several secretive sessions at New York’s Feliz Habitat Studios. La Marisoul, lead singer of the Los Angeles group La Santa Cecilia, appears as a guest vocalist.

In a press release, Costello describes the album as the shortest distance between here and there and containing both rhythm and what is read. Questloves adds, 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.

Pre-orders for the album are ongoing. Below, watch the lyric video for lead single “Walk Us UPTOWN”:

Wise Up Ghost Tracklist:

01. Walk Us UPTOWN

02. SUGAR Won’t Work

03. REFUSE To Be Saved

04. WAKE Me Up

05. TRIPWIRE

06. Stick Out Your TONGUE

07. Come The MEANTIMES

08. (She Might Be A)GRENADE

09. CINCO Minutos Con Vos

10. VICEROY’S Row

11. Wise Up GHOST

12. If I Could BELIEVE

13. My New HAUNT

14. Can You HEAR Me?

15. The PUPPET Has Cut His Strings