Wise Up Ghost and Other Songs - Elvis Costello & the Roots
Wise Up Ghost and Other Songs Image
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 11 Ratings

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  • Band members: The Roots, Elvis Costello
  • Summary: Originally begun as an album of reworked Costello songs, the debut collaboration between Elvis Costello and the Roots is instead a largely original release produced by Steven Mandel.
  • Record Label: Blue Note
  • Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Contemporary Pop/Rock, College Rock
  • More Details and Credits »

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Los Angeles Times
    Sep 18, 2013
    100
    If you've ever fallen in love with a Costello record, be prepared for a new obsession.
  2. American Songwriter
    Sep 12, 2013
    90
    Wise Up Ghost is a fearless, invigorating gut-punch of a record, one that never settles and surprises from start to finish.
  3. Spin
    Sep 13, 2013
    80
    You’ve got to give it to perennial over-achievers: sometimes they even know how to make extra-credit assignments sound like A+ work.
  4. Q Magazine
    Oct 11, 2013
    80
    Scouse grump and Philadelphia radicals were made for each other. [Nov 2013, p.104]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. Chicago Tribune
    Sep 16, 2013
    75
    Tempos drag in the Latin-flavored "Cinco Minutos Con Vos" and the static "Viceroy's Row," and the title track is a mood piece that never climbs out of neutral. But even these misfires feel like experiments that fell short, while the rest of "Wise Up Ghost" revels in its uneasiness.
  6. Magnet
    Sep 19, 2013
    70
    This could have been Costello's urban album, or his funk album, or his black album--but instead, it's simply his new album. [No. 102, p.54]
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  7. The A.V. Club
    Sep 17, 2013
    58
    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.

See all 30 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. WadeVS
    Sep 19, 2013
    10
    I'm conservative with giving score, but this one is well worth the full marks. It is sensational. Costello has a timeless sound and everything The Roots do sounds fresh and vital. This is perfection from first track to the last.… Expand
  2. lesdmd
    Sep 17, 2013
    10
    I can't get this album out of rotation. Keep coming back for more, and getting it. I'm more than old enough to have admired Elvis during his entire career, and this is an outstanding addition to the discography. If there is a better collaboration this year, bring it on!… Expand
  3. Saszka
    Sep 27, 2013
    6
    After long, long time of not delivering, Costello tried again and, this time, succeeded. Of course, all together sounds like an old master refreshing himself with young blood, but anyone who already doubted in Costello's songwriting ability must admit he or she was wrong. Not a class of David Bowie return, still worth a try.… Expand

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