NEW YORK (AP) – Elvis Costello is reissuing his classic album “This Year’s Model” – but this year’s version wipes out his vocals and replaces it with Spanish-speaking singers.
A video of Juanes performing “Pump it Up” was released Thursday, preceding the full version of “Spanish Model” due out on September 10th.
Producer Sebastian Krys has preserved and remixed the original instrumental tracks recorded by Costello and his backing band, the Attractions. Besides Juanes, other singers include Fito Paez, Luis Fonsi, Sebastian Yatra, and Jesse & Joy.
Originally released in 1978, “This Year’s Model” was Costello’s second album and the first with Attractions. With its furious sound and frenzied pace, Costello described it as an album about control and “desire and how it relates to love, fashion and the male gaze towards women.”
“I don’t think there is anything that someone in another language wouldn’t have encountered,” he said.
He said in a press release that he was inspired by TV producer David Simon’s request to record his song “This Year’s Girl” as a duet with singer Natalie Bergman for his show “The Deuce”. He said he had a dream where he heard “This Year’s Model” sung in Spanish.
Juanes had just worked with Krys on his latest album, “Origen”. He told The Associated Press that he could hear Costello’s breathing in the mix used for his vocals.
“The video is also very special,” Juanes said, “because it’s animation compared to the original. I mean, this is the original video, but with my face. It’s a little crazy, but it’s really cool. The same body of Elvis dancing to the song, but with my face.
“Spanish Model” includes versions of “Mentira” (Lip Service) sung by Pablo Lopez, “La Chica de Hoy” (This Year’s Girl) by Cami and “Tu Eres Para Mi” (You Belong to Me) by Fonsi.
Costello recently teased the concept of bilingual outings, with Iggy Pop singing a French version of Costello’s song “No Flag”.
“Part of the fun of this project is its unexpected nature,” said Costello. “However, I think the people in my audience who paid attention are now quite used to surprises.”
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Online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc_MYgfqHXI
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Sigal Ratner-Arias, Associated Press Spanish Entertainment Editor-in-Chief, contributed to this report.
