Tim Armstrong of Rancid is the man behind the desk for the new Jimmy Cliff EP.
Armstrong has taken the reggae legend into a totally new musical realm with a cover of The Clash’s classic ‘Guns of Brixton’.
For 63-year old Cliff, it is his first recording in seven years.
"Tim has such a great foothold in the tradition. He woke me up to a lot of the things I had forgotten," said Cliff. "I enjoy the creative spontaneity of collaborating with other people. I always want to try new things. It's the type of creative energy I have". Armstrong adds, "Jimmy is one of my musical heroes and I've been responding to his music my entire life."
Jamaican based Cliff was also aware of Armstrong’s Rancid past. "I knew vaguely about Tim through working with Joe Strummer and wanted to bring something fresh to the marketplace. Us coming from such different musical poles brought a great energy to the songs. I wanted to create something with a fresh sound - that's why we decided to test the waters," said Cliff. "I've always wanted to work with him and we connected immediately, which doesn't happen all the time," added Armstrong. "This is Jimmy's record and I'm honored to be a part of it."
The EP will be released in November.
