Bootsy Collins Announces First Studio Album in Five Years

by Kevin Johnson Thursday, January 13th, 2011

Bootsy Collins will be releasing his first studio album in five years, according to BillBoard.com. The project, entitled Tha Funk Capital of the World, serves as a memorial to his late musical heroes, including James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Thelonious Monk, and fellow P-Funk member Garry Shider.

“In 2008 we went out and did a tribute to James Brown tour with… as many of the JBs together as I could,” he told Billboard. “That really got me thinking about all these great cats who are no longer around and how people are just forgetting about them, and the music is becoming so watered down now. We’re forgetting the ones that really opened the door. Since I’m still here, I really wanted to connect those dots… so young people can see that what they think is so new isn’t so new.”

Bootsy has been writing and recording the 16-track CD for the last two and a half years, which is due out April 26 on Mascot Records. The entire album is stacked full of guest appearances, ranging from Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg to Al Sharpton to Bela Fleck. Jimi Hendrix’s voice is even used on one of the tracks, “Mirrors Tell Lies.”

Bootsy is hopeful that he can put together a tour to support the release.

“The next project is to try to work that out,” he says. “(The show) would have to be based around this album, not based around what I’ve done in the past… All these (guests) are up for it, so it’s a matter of scheduling…maybe get one or two people to show up at certain gigs. That would be amazing. I’m into challenge. I’m into change and doing things differently. This would be something different for me.”