Elvis Costello & The Roots, Wise Up Ghost (2013)
I was sold on the idea of this straight away. Well, I hoped it would be good. It hasn’t let me down – one of the records of the year. Here’s my initial review of the album. And I also had a chat with Mr Costello, a treat. As a fan of both Elvis Costello and The Roots I hoped for the best here – nervous too, a little bit, that it might stall; might be a bit of a fizzer. But nah, this album kills. It gets better with each listen. Was never a question I’d have to fork out for the vinyl. Glad I did. A double, great shot on the inside of the cover, the gatefold, of EC and Quest. I think this’ll earn a lot of mileage, I’ll be playing this – in extracts and the whole thing – for some time to come. One of my favourites from this year. Easy. (And even more from me about this album and this pairing here).

Sample Track: Walk Us Uptown

The Vinyl Countdown is a document of every LP I listen to, brand new discoveries and old-old favourites; extremely pre-loved, previously abandoned or with the shrink-wrap having just been removed it’s all here at The Vinyl Countdown