Clásicos de la Provincia

Untitled

Clásicos de la Provincia is the sixth album by Colombian singer/composer Carlos Vives.

Released in late 1993, and internationally on February 22, 1994, it became a breakthrough in not only Vives' career, but Colombia's presence on the international pop charts. Containing three chart-topping hits ("La Gota Fria", "Alicia Adorada", "La Hamaca Grande"); the album would propel Vives to fame in Latin America. The album popularized the vallenato genre, both for the younger generation in Colombia and international audiences. The album won the Billboard Latin Music Awards Best Album, and paved the way for Colombian successes Shakira and Juanes.

Overview

Before Clásicos de la Provincia ("Classics of the Province"), Vives was not considered a famous Colombian singer on the international stage. He began his career as a soap opera star in such telenovelas as "La Conciencia de Lucía (The Conscience of Lucía - 1989)" and "L.P. Loca Pasión (Crazy Love - 1989)," and then tried his hand in a dual career as both television star and romantic balladeer. While he gained domestic attention through his first few albums in the late 1980s, (including the title track from 1989's No Podrás Escapar de Mí), his synth-pop style did little to differentiate himself from other musical artists of the era. It took a few years for Vives to find inspiration out of the limelight in Bogotá and back to his roots in Santa Marta.

In 1991, when Carlos was approached to play the part of Rafael Escalona in the biographical film Escalona (1991), it would not only be a star-turning role for the rising actor, but the beginning of Carlos's musical breakthrough. Playing the famous musician, Carlos used his own musical talents to reinterpret Escalona's music, embedded in the traditional Colombian style of music known as vallenato. With vallenato being the musical style of Colombia's northern coast, the location of Carlos's Santa Marta birthplace, Vives found success embracing his hometown roots. While vallenato was a musical style that had slowly lost popularity with Colombia's younger generation, Escalona would inspire Carlos to fuse the vallenato with modern rock, a sound that would break Carlos not only in his own Colombian homeland, but the entire Latin American music market.

With Carlos's backing band, La Provincia, Carlos took a cue from his successful interpretations of Rafael Escalona, and decided to delve deeper into the famous artists of Colombia's vallenato past. The result would be Carlos's first true breakthrough hit Clásicos de la Provincia, in 1993 (1994 internationally). As the title implies, the album consists of Colombia's vallenato standards, not only popular during its time, but in a new rock style, nearly turning the songs into new compositions. For example, the album opener "La Gota Fria (The Cold Drop)", when compared to the original by Emiliano Zuleta, sounds like two distinct songs, if one were to ignore song lyrics.

The album covers well-known songs from artists as Juan Pablo Valencia ("Alicia Adorada" - Adored Alicia) and Leandro Díaz ("Matilda Lina"). Most of the songs are embedded in the vallenato sound. Carlos's right-hand man Egidio Cuadrado, the accordionist who nearly steals the spotlight from the singer, begins the songs with a short accordion instrumental, quickly followed by the rest of La Provincia chiming in, and ending with Cuadrado's accordion playing the last few bars. The album contains some other musical spots in experiemental styles, "Pedazo De Accordion (Piece of Accordion)", performed by Egidio & Heberth Cuadrado, is a Cartagena-influenced dance number that has a rapid rhythm. The album also has a ballad, "Altos de Rosario," which is a slower jazzy composition. Carlos ends the album with the humorous "Contestacion A La Brasilera (Response to the Brazilian Woman)" a one-minute short sung a cappella by Vives.

With the debut single "La Hamaca Grande" (The Big Hammock - #13 Billboard Hot Latin Tracks), and peaking with "La Gota Fría" (#6), the reaction was tremendous. The hit single, as well as other album cuts such as "Alicia Adorada" (#25), and "Matilde Lina," would be embraced by older generations, vallenato enthusiasts (with some mixed reactions), and younger listeners, transfixed by the mix of percussion, accordion, and of course, rock guitar. "La Gota Fría" went into high rotation. So popular is this album, both fans, and even Carlos himself (as can be noted on his website http://www.carlosvives.com), consider this Colombian classic to be his "first" album.

This album holds importance for not only reintroducing the vallenato to Colombia's youth, but as the first Colombian album to sell 1 million copies worldwide, exposing then vallenato sound to countries unfamiliar with it (such as Spain). The album is still regarded with great popularity as Vives's biggest album, and would go on to win the Best Album prize at the 1995 Billboard Latin Music Awards. Clásicos would give birth to Colombia's answer to their first modern superstar, paving the way for future Colombian rockers Shakira and Juanes.

Track listing

1. "La Gota Fría" (E. Zuleta) – 3:32
2. "Amor Sensible" (F. Molina) – 4:26
3. "Alicia Adorada" (J. Valencia) – 4:15
4. "La Hamaca Grande" (A. Pacheco) – 3:16
5. "El Cantor De Fonseca" (C. Huertas) – 3:07
6. "Matilde Lina" (L. Díaz) – 3:57
7. "Altos Del Rosario" (A. Durán) – 3:56
8. "Honda Herida" (R. Escalona) – 3:03
9. "La Cañaguatera" (I. Carrillo) – 3:12
10. "Lirio Rojo" (C. Ochoa) – 2:48
11. "La Tijera" (L. Martínez) – 3:27
12. "Compae Chipuco" (C. Gomez) – 3:16
13. "Pedazo De Acordeón" (A. Durán) – 4:06
14. "La Celosa" (F. Molina) – 4:12
15. "Contestación A La Brasilera (fragmento)" (A. Zabaleta) – 0:49

Chart performance

Chart (1994)	Peak position
Chile (APF)	1
U.S. Billboard Top Latin Albums	2
U.S. Billboard Latin Pop Albums	2

Personnel

Performance Credits

• Carlos Vives - Primary Artist, Director, Vocals
• Egidio Cuadrado - Accordion, Vocals (Pedazo de Accordion), Backing Vocals
• Ernesto "Teto" Ocampo - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Guitar
• Luis Ángel Pastor - Bass
• John Jairo Lemus - Conga
• Luis Pacheco - Conga, Guache, Tamboura, Tambourine
• Alexa Hernández - Vocals, Choir
• Amparo Sandino - Vocals Choir
• Aníbal Rivera - Electric Guitar
• Antonio Arnedo - Gaita, Soprano Saxophone
• Eder Polo - Guacharaca
• Bernardo Ossa - Keyboards, Percussion
• Michael Egizi - Piano
• Alfredo Rosado - Tamboura, Tambourine
• Heberth Cuadrado - Violin, Vocals ("Pedazo De Acordeón")

Technical Credits

• Eduardo de Narváez - Arranger, Engineer, Producer
• Ernesto "Teto" Ocampo - Arranger
• Bernardo Ossa - Arranger
• Carlos Vives - Arranger, Direction
• Rafael Mejía - Art Direction
• Phil Austin - Engineer
• Jorge Díaz - Engineer
• Robin Jenny - Engineer, Mastering
• Manuel Riveira - Representation

External Credits

For soundbites and further information, go to http://www.carlosvives.com