Latest Release
- JAN 12, 2024
- 3 Songs
- Supernatural (Remastered) · 1999
- Ultimate Santana · 1999
- Santana · 1969
- Ultimate Santana · 1970
- Supernatural (Remastered) · 1999
- Ultimate Santana · 1970
- Ultimate Santana · 1976
- Abraxas · 1970
- Ultimate Santana · 2002
- Abraxas · 1970
Essential Albums
- When a party has a guest list that’s as long as the one for Supernatural, there’s a risk the host will get lost in the crowd. Yet even with Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, Rob Thomas, and Dave Matthews on hand, there’s never a doubt about who’s at the center of the action. With his fluid playing style on full display, Carlos Santana is the most exciting thing about the blockbuster comeback that sold more than 15 million copies, swept the GRAMMYⓇs, and introduced the 1960s guitar hero to a new generation. This success story established a music-biz strategy of reviving the careers of veteran artists by pairing them with modern hitmakers. But Supernatural was more than just the result of a supportive set of collaborators. The process began in 1997 when Carlos Santana reteamed with Arista head Clive Davis, the label boss who initially shepherded the genre-busting band to fame in the Woodstock era. Though the guests all bring individual flair, they never overshadow the guitarist or his band. Instead, they enhance the fiery energy and sultry grooves that were always key to the Santana sound. That’s as true of Thomas’ suave vocal performance on the salsa-pop smash “Smooth” as it is of Hill and CeeLo Green’s contributions to “Do You Like the Way,” one of several songs that incorporate hip-hop into Santana’s fusion of Latin rhythms, rock pyrotechnics, and blues fundamentals. And while there are more terrific guest-star turns by Matthews on “Love of My Life,” Everlast on “Put Your Lights On,” and Clapton on “The Calling,” Supernatural’s most exuberant moments arrive with “(Da Le) Yaleo” and “Migra,” jammier songs that capture Santana and his band in full flight.
- Before the original band broke up, Santana added teenaged guitarist Neal Schon to trade licks with Carlos. The move made for an album that's all about instrumental firepower: It's telling that the single "No One to Depend On" had exactly one line of lyric. There's a pure Latin groove on "Guajira" and a rare Carlos vocal on the uplifting rocker "Everything's Coming Our Way." A loose translation of the closing number, Tito Puente's "Para Los Rumberos," gets it right: This one is "for the swingers."
- 2016
Artist Playlists
- The Latin guitar god's journey from '60s psychedelic shaman to '90s comeback king.
- Soaring guitar and percolating rhythms adopted from the master.
- Woozy gypsy jazz and Chicano rock ‘n' roll fuel this guitar guru.
- Explore new twists on the guitarist's signature Latin rock.
Live Albums
Appears On
- Alejandro Lerner, Sofía Reyes & L-Gante
- Cindy Blackman Santana
- Cindy Blackman Santana
More To Hear
- Conversation around his new album ‘Blessings and Miracles.'
- Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of 'Abraxas' by Santana.
More To See
About Santana
Carlos Santana was just days away from releasing his debut album when he instantly made his mark in the rock canon at Woodstock in 1969. Rushed onstage for a Saturday-afternoon set, the little-known Mexican-American guitarist and his eponymous backing band ripped into a furious and innovative combination of psychedelic rock and Latin jazz. It was an auspicious start to a rich and varied career for Santana, who over 50-plus years has challenged the boundaries of rock, jazz fusion, and pop. Born on July 20, 1947, and raised in the cities of Tijuana and San Francisco, Santana grew up playing violin and guitar and formed the Santana Blues Band (soon shortened to Santana) in 1966. Backed by organs and Latin percussion, he drew equally from the mambo of Tito Puente and the blues-based improvisation of Jimi Hendrix in tracks like “No One to Depend On” and his iconic, guitar-driven take on Puente’s “Oye Como Va.” Later, he ventured into headier, spiritual-leaning jazz in collaborations with Alice Coltrane and John McLaughlin of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and then he successfully adapted to the ’80s pop landscape with the hook-oriented anthems of 1981’s Zebop!. By 1999, Santana had fully solidified his status as an elder statesman of rock—with his star-studded album Supernatural and its absurdly catchy single “Smooth,” he made clear that his supple, scorching licks will breathe life into any musical situation.
- ORIGIN
- San Francisco, CA, United States
- FORMED
- 1966
- GENRE
- Rock