Carlos Vives made the world fall in love with vallenato. Can he do the same with cumbia?
With his characteristic enthusiasm, Carlos Vives will release his latest album “Cumbiana” (Sony Music Latin), a production with 10 songs he wrote that will be available on all digital platforms on Friday.
The album, the first in a three-volume collection, features the special participation of Rubén Blades, Alejandro Sanz, Jessie Reyez and Ziggy Marley, among other notable musicians. And it is a way of paying tribute to the origins of cumbia.
“’Cumbiana’ continues the path I chose after recording ballads a long time ago. It is a project that arises after venturing into vallenato, a genre that I consider [cumbia’s] offspring, and one that has allowed me to connect with the past and with new generations,“ Vives told El Nuevo Herald from his home in Bogotá, where he is spending quarantine.
The Colombian interpreter explained that during his research for the album he discovered “many things” behind all that music that he has been creating over the years.
“I discovered that the joy and that rumba spirit that prevails in so many musical fusions did not come from Europe or Africa, as it happened in Cuba and Puerto Rico, but that they already existed in pre-Hispanic America and, specifically, in the Colombian wetlands,” affirmed the singer-songwriter. His mission was to recover the sound of the cumbian universe, “that left a mark on the history of Colombian music,” and give it the recognition it deserves.
“’Cumbiana’ also rediscovers that amphibious culture, which is surrounded by an exuberant nature that must be cared for so much,” he said, after announcing that on Friday at 10 p.m. Mega TV will release a self-titled documentary about what prompted the concept for the album.
As for the musical selection, he said that the songs speak of love as well as of the history of the territory of his musical ancestors. In the case of “Canción para Rubén,” inspired by Rubén Blades, he merged vallenato with salsa.
When referring to “For Sale,” where he had Alejandro Sanz as his guest, the singer-songwriter revealed that he took on the sounds of southern Spain that connect with those of the Colombian Caribbean basin.
For the artist, the most difficult part of the project was coordinating the agendas of the guests with the recording dates.
“It has been a very pleasant experience that has given me the possibility of approaching musicians such as Juan Luis Guerra and Gente de Zona, who will be heard in the following volumes,” said the singer-songwriter proudly of his great team of collaborators.
Vives has sold 20 million albums worldwide, won several Grammy Awards, and performed hundreds of concerts during his career. He has done philanthropic work, such as Tras La Perla, an initiative that seeks the sustainable development of Santa Marta, his hometown.
“I am very authentic in what I do. People recognize the love I put into things. When I chose to sing vallenatos they told me that nobody was going to like it, and the opposite happened,” said Vives.
