Regarding the song selection process for the new collection, Behind This Guitar, he said, “A lot of the songs, like in the old days, were selected by Rick Jarrard. He was the one that got Quentin Tarantino to use my version of ‘California Dreamin” because he liked it better than the version of The Mamas and the Papas.”
Feliciano continued, “I think this album is full of hits. Every artist has that feeling about a product that they do, otherwise, they wouldn’t be artists. Every song is a hit on this collection, especially the title track ‘Behind This Guitar’. I also love ‘The Itch’ as well since it’s a basic blues song and I’ve always loved the blues. That song hit me pretty hard. Rick chose it and he made a pretty good choice.”
Most impressive about Behind This Guitar is that it features a 2020 version of his signature Christmas classic “Feliz Navidad.” “I never thought that such a simple little song would be such a favorite among people around Christmas. It has grown into a pleasant monster because it is known all over the world,” he said.
On December 22, Feliciano performed at Sony Hall in the heart of New York City. “I thought it was great to play Sony Hall since it’s in New York, and if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere,” he said. “New York’s audiences are the toughest and they expect the best from you. New York is the world’s capital.”
For young and aspiring singer-songwriters, he encouraged them to “not lose their sense of humility.” “Know that at any time, anything can happen and you can lose everything,” he said. “It is important to have humility.”
On being an artist in the digital age, he said, “The digital age isn’t as much fun as it used to be on the radio. There is no radio these days, and more than anything, whoever pays the highest bidder on digital gets their records on digital radio. It never used to be like that. Luckily for me, I have a good crew around me.”
While he acknowledges that “vinyl is great,” Feliciano loves the “sound of CDs.”
Feliciano is praised for being one of the most prominent Latin-born performers of the pop era. He is also a Puerto Rican guitarist, singer, and composer that found mainstream success in the late ’60s thanks to his diverse musical style, which encompasses flamenco guitar, bolero, folk, and easy listening pop music. Feliciano has been inducted to such Halls of Fame as the International Latin Music Hall of Fame and the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Feliciano said, “Jose is back, though he never left.”
The Latin crooner defined the word success as: “Not having to sell newspapers or making chairs and doing other things that other blind people with no talent would be doing. God saved me: he said, ‘José, I will put this gift in your hand and see what you can do with it. If you can do something with it, then that will be your job for life’.”
Behind This Guitar is available for pre-order on Apple Music and on Amazon Music. “This album will heal you if you feel unsure about yourself. The reason people like albums is because they have healing properties and this album is loaded with healing properties,” he said.
To learn more about iconic singer-songwriter José Feliciano and his new music, check out his official website and his Facebook page.
Read More: Digital Journal reviewed José Feliciano’s show at Sony Hall in New York City, which took place on December 22.
