Unlikely Brilliance or Bizarre Mash-up: Elvis Costello and Questlove Collaborate on "Wise Up Ghost"

 

Over the last few decades, there have been many cross-genre collaborations between musicians that have ranged from genuinely fantastic to downright strange. One of the most anticipated September album releases is also a collaborative effort between rock and roll legend Elvis Costello and hip-hop heavyweight Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, the drummer and leader of the Roots.

The two performers are incredibly famous within their own musical genres, and neither of them are strangers to collaborations on records. Their own sounds have evolved and developed into deeply meaningful, technically remarkable records over the years, so perhaps their joining forces is simply the stuff of destiny. Costello and Questlove reportedly started collaborating on their album Wise Up Ghost after meeting on the set of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, where the Roots perform. The record was completed after a year’s worth of experimental sessions, and now we must wait in anticipation for the album’s release on the 17^th. 

What do the critics have to say? Ann Powers for NPR says “the album sounds like the best of Costello's stuff and like nothing he's done before. Working with musicians who've figured out how to apply hip-hop principles to a band dynamic, Costello locates himself within that framework to produce some of the most focused and visionary work of his later career.” The New York Times says that the album “underlines some of Mr. Costello’s bleakest imagery with stark, ominous funk,” and calls both Costello and Questlove “inveterate collaborators and musical encyclopedias.” One thing that critics can certainly agree on is that this album is technically remarkable, and that heavy, sinister themes are carried along by the sensual funk that Questlove employs. 

Costello and Thompson are now among the hordes of other seemingly unlikely musical collaborators like Coldplay and Rihanna, or Lou Reed and Metallica, just to name a few. When two seriously talented musicians join forces, the result has to be phenomenal, right? We’ll soon find out when Wise Up Ghost is released later this month.  

Image: milo43 via Instagram
Image: questlove via Instagram 

FLOTUS Collaborates on New Hip-Hop Album for Kids

 

First Lady Michelle Obama is known for being an activist for many causes. First Ladies typically carry out a political agenda of their own while their husbands are in office, and over the last five years Michelle has worked to improve education, bolster employment rates, and perhaps most notably, made efforts to tackle the challenges of childhood obesity as a national epidemic. 

Her latest work to improve the wellness of American children involves an unexpected tool to channel her message: a hip-hop album. That’s right, the First Lady is helping put together a full-length hip-hop record, one that was conceptualized as a means to inspire healthy living. According to Pitchfork, Mrs. Obama has collaborated with the organizations Partnership for a Healthier America, as well as Hip Hop Public Health to release an album called Songs for a Healthier America. The public health-inspired album is part of the First Lady’s continual efforts to curb childhood obesity, and contains nearly twenty songs that feature music industry heavyweights. Creating a socially conscious health-centric album seems easy when you’re as well connected as Michelle Obama.

According to The White House Administration, “When people first ask First Lady Michelle Obama to describe herself, she doesn’t hesitate to say that first and foremost, she is Malia and Sasha’s mom,” a part of her identity which certainly influences her goals as First Lady. A mother to two young girls, childhood obesity is an issue that Mrs. Obama has been exposed to first hand in her work with youth. It’s excellent that she is able to use her connections to inspire changes in health and wellness in a creative way.

Songs for a Healthier America will feature recognizable artists such as Ashanti, Jordin Sparks, DMC of Run DMC, Matisyahu, Ariana Grande, and Travis Barker, among others. Some of the song titles include “We like Vegetables,” “Veggie Luv,” and “U R What You Eat,” and all encourage healthy eating and exercise for children. While Mrs. Obama won’t be singing on any of the album tracks, she is reported to make cameos in upcoming music videos. 

Image 1: Barack Obama via Flickr

Image 2: michelleobama via Instagram