Wise Up Ghost

With their astonishing new collaboration, Wise Up Ghost, Elvis Costello and the world's greatest hip-hop band, the Roots, have created one of the most striking and surprising works in either of their wide-ranging careers, an album that is sure to explode any preconceptions a listener might bring to it. The participants are no strangers to experimenting with other artists, but neither of them has ever done anything quite like this.

"I don't know the name for this music," says Costello. "It's a cauldron full of powders and potions, frogs and fingers, and that's what I call rock and roll-because that's what it was, originally. I'm not much bothered about the labels, though. What I care is whether we like it and can stand by it."

The creators of Wise Up Ghost express no expectations and no concerns, about how this unprecedented project will be received. "When you do something wildly different from that which you're known for, it can surprise or even outrage people," says Elvis Costello. "But you don't make music based on who might not listen to it. You follow your heart."