Nearly six months after Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson revealed that The Roots were working on an album with veteran Rock & Rock/New Wave singer/songwriter Elvis Costello, additional details have emerged. According to Radio.com, the album is titled Wise Up Ghost, and will be released through the famed Blue Note Records imprint.
Costello penned late '70s hits such as "Watching The Detectives," "Radio, Radio" and "Pump It Up." The last song was among the samples on "Egg Man," from Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique LP. Costello, an English musician is also considered a pioneer within Punk's first wave.
The album is slated to release on September 17. This is The Roots' first effort, as a group and collaborative, since their 2011 effort with John Legend, Wake Up!. Previously, the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania natives have also released an effort with Betty Wright.
It’s a strange combination of artists, but “Walk us Uptown” intrigues me and now I’m hoping for good things from the album… though no Black Thought on the first song released to the public is a bit disappointing. This album could yield some interesting results and I look forward to hearing more from it!