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Wisdom of Elvis Costello
Jamie Canfield
It's hard to believe that it's been over thirty-five years since Elvis Costello released his debut My Aim Is True. I just refuse to believe that I'm getting that old, but it's true. In his career, Costello has experimented with country music, neo-classical, blue-eyed soul, reggae, but his forte has always been two-minute-long, power pop songs with bite. He's changed his backing band a couple of times, going from The Attractions to The Imposters, but his sound (except when changing genres) has remained the same. Now he's teamed up with Late Night with Jimmy Fallon's house band The Roots and released Wise Up Ghost And Other Songs, quite possibly the best album he's done since 1982's Imperial Bedroom.
The Roots bandleader and drummer Questlove has helped Costello find a new sonic palate to add to his already overflowing artistic résumé. Although The Roots are best known as one of the best live hip-hop/funk bands around, they take a back seat to give Costello a groove that lets him do what he does best: create articulate, intelligent pop music for the literate listener. Songs like the opener "Walk Us Uptown" and "Tripwire" took me back to albums like This Year's Model and Armed Forces, but with a fresher, funkier backing band. The old Costello acerbic bite is still there, it's just a little older and wiser. At first I wondered how this collaboration came to be. Now I don't care, I'm just so glad that it did.
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