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10.0
58845
10.0 |
Daily Telegraph
A very cool, politically charged collaboration which finds the Roots and Costello at their thrilling best
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9.0
58843
9.0 |
Drowned In Sound
The combination of one of England’s great lyricists and production from arguably America’s most forward-thinking band resulting in a crisp, funky, even dangerous sounding album as political and as relevant as anything this year
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8.7
59035
8.7 |
Paste Magazine
The surprise comes from how easily Costello’s somewhat reedy voice melds into the soupy mix of Dilla-inspired soundscapes and disco string-stabs cooked up by the Roots
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8.3
58902
8.3 |
Pretty Much Amazing
It’s rare that a record comes along that so boldly states its own greatness, and it’s rarer still that such an album actually lives up to that promise. Wise Up Ghost does
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8.0
59032
8.0 |
Slant Magazine
Costello's moments of inspired melody land all the harder, and the Roots know when to pull back and let the Imposter give vent to his sighs, his sneers, and eventually—on the closing track—an awfully sincere, piano-led crisis of faith
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8.0
58881
8.0 |
Evening Standard
This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship
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8.0
58887
8.0 |
PopMatters
For all the collaborations both Elvis Costello and the Roots have found themselves in, Wise Up Ghost has got to be among the most substantial, among the most revered
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8.0
58893
8.0 |
The Scotsman
The melodies are clearly Costello’s – simultaneously unexpected and familiar – and the Roots’ brooding yet funky backing makes exquisite use of their enviable brass section and some luscious string arrangements
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8.0
58894
8.0 |
Spin
This is far better than either entity's fanbase had the right to expect from artists who are famous for having too many side projects already
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8.0
58855
8.0 |
Mojo
Just as hip hop disinters the past and reassembles it in surprising ways, this is Costello 'sampling' his back catalogue, juxtaposing lyrical fragments and finding new ways to sing them. Print edition only
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8.0
58874
8.0 |
Independent on Sunday
A brooding, dark, clicketty snarl of eloquent badness, not half as shouty and cluttered as you might fear
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8.0
58846
8.0 |
The Guardian
More often it works to considerable effect. The album's sound is frugal and full of space, but doesn't feel airy so much as eerie
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8.0
58847
8.0 |
The Irish Times
Costello and The Roots sound vital, urgent and on point. It’s the match of the day – and perhaps even the year
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8.0
58848
8.0 |
The Arts Desk
He has taken some wrong turns in the past, but Elvis is back on track again
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8.0
59093
8.0 |
All Music
It's not exactly alienating but Wise Up Ghost does require work from its audience, and the more you know - and the more you listen - the better it seems
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8.0
59308
8.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
It’s hard to recall a record in recent memory that pays such rich rewards off of so much heightened suspicion and curiosity
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8.0
59453
8.0 |
Time Out
It’s refreshing to hear Costello mix it with a new band and add extra pleasures
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8.0
59509
8.0 |
Under The Radar
Achieves something much greater than the sum of its parts. Costello and Thompson seem made for each other. Let's hope they don't let this collaboration end here
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8.0
60172
8.0 |
Q
Scouse grump and Philadelphia radicals were made for each other. Print edition only
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7.5
58844
7.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
While it’s likely to net both acts new fans from the other side of the great genre divide, it holds up more than capably on its own terms
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7.0
58850
7.0 |
NME
Its only disappointment is the absence of Roots rapper Black Thought to joust with him
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7.0
58979
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
It's the sound of a savant songsmith trying to impress the world's best backing band
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7.0
59312
7.0 |
Clash
Of the two acts, Costello’s pinch of dry spice makes this set more his vehicle to champion, but both show a mutual, practical affinity
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6.5
59079
6.5 |
Pitchfork
At their best, both artists are great listeners, capable of soaking up something they can use from new collaborators
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6.0
58918
6.0 |
The 405
The merit of Wise Up Ghost lies more in the very coming together of these artists, and not the product, despite a handful of sweet tracks that bring out the funk
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6.0
58851
6.0 |
Uncut
A metatextual affair: on one level its sights are set on new frontiers; on another it's hugely self-referential, constantly recycling words and musical motifs from his back catalogue
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6.0
58878
6.0 |
The Observer
These tracks are densely self-referential, borrowing lyrics and themes from Costello's past
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5.8
58972
5.8 |
A.V. Club
At this point in his career, an album-length experiment like Wise Up Ghost seems to satisfy Costello artistically, thanks to his chameleon tendencies, but there isn’t much to add to the best of either catalog
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