Guitar legend Carlos Santana and his band are back at it again as they pack their worldly music into their new album, Corazon, his first Latin music album in a career that began in the ‘60s. Santana brings his same iconic, beautiful guitar but mixes it with a plethora of big-name collaborations on his new album. Collaborations on the album include artists ChocQuibTown, Lila Downs, Gloria Estefan, Fabulosos Cadillacs Juanes, Ziggy Marley, Miguel, Niña Pastori, Diego Torres, Samuel Rosa of Skank, Cindy Blackman Santana, Romeo Santos, Soledad, Wayne Shorter, and more.
Despite Spanish being the main language of the album, Santana produced an album appealing to any language group. As has become the norm for Santana, the band delivers beautiful African and Latin rhythms to create music that anyone should be able to appreciate.
La Flaca, the first single released from the album, is a beautiful Spanish song put together with Grammy Award-winning Colombian artist Juanes on vocals. Santana’s rhythm alone will have you bobbing your head in approval even if you don’t understand the words.
Santana broadens his musical spectrum throughout Corazon with collaborations and the albumonly affirms that Santana’s guitar is universal and can be applied to nearly any genre of music. In Oye 2014, Latin hip-hop artist Pitbull raps over Santana’s popular classic Oye Como Va that was recorded in 1970. One would think it wouldn’t work well at first thought, but the track leaves the listener pleasantly surprised by a remarkable mix of old and new Latin music.
Santana continues his magical blending of genres by teaming up with Ziggy Marley in Iron Lion Zion. Marley applies his classic reggae lyrics over Santana’s harmonious background music that creates a beautiful track of mixed genres.
Santana’s iconic, rhythmic guitar and ability to fuse musical genres – two attributes that have made Santana successful – are on full display in Corazon, making it an album that should appeal to music aficionados of all types.
BY CHRIS MCCLAIN
Best Track: Mal Bicho (w/ Los Fabulosos Cadillacs)
If You Like These, You’ll Love This: JIMI HENDRIX, CAFE TACUBA
In A Word: Rhythmic
