Page 29 - ATD 03OCT,2015
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PEOPLE & ARTS A29
Saturday 3 October 2015
A come-black: Clint Black returns with 1st album in 10 years
KRISTIN M. HALL In this Sept. 22, 2015 photo, musician Clint Black poses for a photo at his home in Forest Hills, Tenn. Macias said their core mis-
Associated Press Associated Press sion has been to help artists
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — maintain ownership of their
The black hat is back. Clint But he walked away from ed by major labels, this year that I would have loved own work. Black’s label
Black released his first new RCA at the height of his he signed a deal with Thirty and would have loved me mates include the Avett
album in a decade after fi- career and founded his Tigers, an independent la- as me,” Black said. “I may Brothers, Lucinda Williams,
nally finding a record label own music label, Equity Mu- bel in Nashville, to put out be standing here just do- Patty Griffin, Marty Stuart
he could trust. sicGroup, which launched “On Purpose,” released last ing my thing on tour and and Jason Isbell.
The staunchly independent the career of the platinum- week. all my music would have “We are a place that val-
country artist was always selling country group Little “If it weren’t for Thirty Tigers, been sitting down there in ues artists that are singular
a thorn in the side of Mu- Big Town. I don’t know if there was an- the studio.” and hold tight to their vi-
sic Row’s record executives. After years of being court- other company out there Thirty Tigers owner David sion,” Macias said.
He never gave in to pres- Between playing about 85
sure to sing other people’s cities a year, Black tinkered
songs and never wanted to away at his songs in the stu-
repeat his big hits like “Killin’ dio for a couple of years
Time” or “A Better Man.” and refined his guitar skills.
“I am not here to sell re- The songs on “On Purpose”
cords, I am here to make stay true to his neo-tradi-
records,” Black, 53, said tional country style and he
during an interview in his shows off his wit and clever
home studio in Nashville, writing on songs like “Call-
Tennessee. “And if some- ing it News,” which skew-
one can sell them, that’s ers the election year media
great. And if they can’t, circus, or an ode to the uni-
that’s too bad. But it’s not versal language of drinking
going to change what I on “Beer.”
do.” And like his song, “Better
The singer-songwriter with and Worse,” Black has en-
the traditional country joyed the highs and the
sound was one of the best- lows of the music business
selling artists of the ‘90s, and found that he’s right
selling more than 20 million where he belongs.
albums worldwide. His 1989 “My expectations are still
debut album, “Killin’ Time,” under control because I
generated four No. 1 hits never expected or felt en-
on Billboard’s Hot Country titled to anything in the first
songs chart, an impressive place,” Black said.q
feat in any genre.
Will Smith is getting jiggy with music again with Latin band
MESFIN FEKADU In this Feb. 24, 2015 file photo, Will Smith arrives at the world premiere of “Focus” in Los Angeles. album, “Amanecer,” is up
AP Music Writer Associated Press for best alternative mu-
NEW YORK (AP) — Will Smith sic album.
is getting jiggy with mu- Will was beyond anything English and Spanish on “Fiesta” is nominated for When the nominees were
sic again. we have dreamed of. ... It’s the song. He recently shot record of the year at next announced last month,
The Grammy-winning rap- just magic.” a music video for the remix month’s Latin Grammy Smith posted a selfie with
per and Oscar-nominated Smith, 47, raps in both with Bomba Estereo. Awards. Bomba Estereo’s the quartet on his Face-
actor appears on a remix book page and wrote:
of Colombian band Bomba “Felicidades to BOMBA ES-
Estereo’s song, “Fiesta.” The TEREO on their Latin Gram-
remix was released digitally my Nominations!”
on Friday.The collaboration Bomba Estereo also in-
marks Smith’s return to mu- cludes singer Liliana Sau-
sic since his 2005 album, met, drummer Andrés Zea
“Lost and Found.” Smith and multi-instrumentalist
discovered Bomba Este- Julian Salazar. They formed
reo, known for its blend of in 2005 and have per-
Latin, tropical and electro formed at major music fes-
sounds, on a recent trip to tivals, including Coachella,
Colombia. He then asked Glastonbury and Lolla-
the group to collaborate. palooza.
“When I was told that Will Smith’s hits include “Get-
Smith wanted to collabo- tin’ Jiggy Wit It,” ‘’Miami,”
rate on a remix with Bom- ‘’Wild Wild West” and
ba, I couldn’t believe it,” 2005’s “Snatch.”
band founder and multi- The 16th annual Latin
instrumentalist Simon Mejia Grammys will air live on
said in a statement. “This Nov. 19 on Univision from
opportunity to work with the MGM Grand Garden
Arena in Las Vegas.q
