Costello and most-potent-backup-band-on-earth The Roots recently performed “Walk Us Uptown” on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon – watch below for funk grooves, belted vocals, and Elvis Costello showing that no one can rock a fedora quite like he can. Well, Harrison Ford, but that’s an awfully hard star to catch.
You can never tell what Elvis Costello’s going to do next. In the past few years the legendary singer/songwriter has collaborated with Fall Out Boy, written a chamber opera, and sung a duet with Stephen Colbert – not to mention joined Spinal Tap on stage. So it was a sort of unsurprising surprise when Roots drummer ?uestlove announced a joint album with Costello a few months ago. It’s out, and it’s good. Wise Up Ghost has won wide acclaim for its smooth blend of both collaborators protean styles.
“Walk Us Uptown” was the first taste listeners got of the new album. It’s an irresistibly slick exercise in funk, and Costello did the vocals proper justice on Late Night. The Roots, naturally, didn’t disappoint either. Check it out: