Today the GRAMMY®-nominated Austin duo Black Pumas release their Spotify Singles – a cover of the iconic 1970 Rodriguez song “Sugar Man” and a reworking of their hit single “Colors,” which is currently nominated for Record of the Year at the 2021 GRAMMY AWARDS®. The new version of “Colors” features the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, the incredible Chicago octet of brothers who have previously collaborated with Prince, Gorillaz, Childish Gambino, and Erykah Badu. Check out the songs here..
“I was floored to see someone take something so specific to me and unapologetically integrate an eclectic blend of hip hop, jazz, and funk to speak their piece,” says frontman Eric Burton of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble collaboration. “It felt good to be invited back to my family’s home city of Chicago in this way.”
“Reimagining ‘Colors’ was no easy feat, so if we were going to try it, it had to be different or it wasn’t worth doing,” says producer and bandleader Adrian Quesada. “I heard a song by the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble on a bike ride one day and their rhythmic phrasing on it reminded me of Eric’s guitar part. They knocked it out of the park with the arrangement they sent, so we didn’t have to do much but re-sing and add some icing on the cake. It was an honor to collaborate with them.”
Of the Rodriguez cover, Quesada says, “‘Sugar Man’ is one of those songs we’ve both been attracted to for years, from Rodriguez’s songwriting and performance to the production of Dennis Coffey, it’s inspired us in more ways than one and is one of those true timeless pieces of music. It was a total blast to dissect it and reinterpret in our voice.”
Tonight, Black Pumas are thrilled to perform on Celebrating America, the official primetime special celebrating the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Hosted by Tom Hanks, the event features additional performances by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jon Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, John Legend, Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, and Tim McGraw. Celebrating America airs tonight at 8:30pm-10pm ET/PT on ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, MSNBC, and PBS. It will be streamed live at https://BidenInaugural.org/
