Long-rumored and shrouded in mystery, this collaborative album between Elvis Costello and The Roots may be one of the most unexpected and surprising releases of 2013. Definitely a situation where the whole is greater than the sum of the amazing parts, and this album lives up to all of the intrigue and expectations.

For one long-time fan, Costello’s aim has been more haphazard than true since he ditched The Attractions, “He seems as inconsistent, overwrought, self-conscious as he’s been intermittently brilliant. Sometimes, all you need is a right hook and a punch line you can feel. As for his collaborations, from Bacharach to Otter to Toussaint—they’ve all been eye rollers in my book.”

However, Ghost just may be Costello’s most straightforward, grounded production albeit moody and dark.

Critic Philip R. Heath comments on the funk and soul-filled offering, “I am far from an expert on Elvis Costello’s album catalog, but I have enjoyed the variety in style from what I have sampled. He tackles jazz (North), eclectic rock (Momofuku), and roots/folk (Secret, Profane and Sugarcane) with aplomb.

“That is exactly what I found when I started listening to Wise Up Ghost. The opening track Walk Us Uptown begins over 55 minutes of Costello’s biting social commentary backed by grooves from The Roots. I found Come The Meantimes to be one of the best displays of the unusual chemistry that this artist pairing produced.

“The opening bass line on Refuse to Be Saved is funky with filthy distortion. Longtime Costello fans should check out Sugar Won’t Work for some of his vocal harmonies and hooks on the chorus.”

If you are an adventurous Elvis Costello fan (is there any other kind?), you must give this a try. Wise Up Ghost works as party music or concentrated solo listening equally well.

By Cascade A&E staff