Last night, on the very stage upon which the dynamic collaboration between The Roots and Elvis Costello was conceived, the burly group of musicians performed "Walk Us Uptown" the first single off their highly anticipated Wise Up Ghost LP on the set of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. With the album dropping just yesterday, the celebratory performance was the first televised rendition of the single, showing the world what they're all in store for on their collaborative album. The song bares the rawness of its constituents on the LP, truly melding the sharp prose and masterful lyricism of Costello's repertoire, with the brilliance of the The Roots' naturally lush instrumentation and flawless funk chops.
A man of almost 60 years, Costello shined like he did in his skinny black denim days with the poise of a matured showman, but the genuine stage presence and disposition of a performer half his age. The effortlessly poppy and timeless voice of the crooner was spot-on, he still knew how to bring the dirt out of the guitar and by the end of the performance, it seemed Costello could hang with The Legendary on just about any Prince inspired wind down jam (a feat all on its' own.) If you haven't heard the Wise Up Ghost LP yet (no excuse Okay-peoples) go cop the record on iTunes or Amazon. You can also peep a short interview featuring Elvis Costello and Questlove as they discuss the project. Watch The Roots and Costello kill it on LNWJF below.
