Although the pairing of Elvis Costello and The Roots may initially strike some as being unusual, the collaboration isn’t actually all that far out. Costello has collaborated with everyone from Allen Toussaint to Burt Bacharach so to hear him expand his horizons to collaborate with one of the finest bands in hip-hop naturally produces something far funkier and R&B oriented than anything else in Costello’s catalogue. The Roots have little difficulty locking into solid grooves but never really guide Costello beyond mid-tempo territory. Nonetheless, Wise Up Ghost is still worth checking out.