Is Santana's Supernatural Really That Good?
by Andy Moseley - reprinted with permission from the March 2000 Mariners' Log
To answer that question quickly, it is that good, and more. Carlos Santana and the gang have what is the comeback album of the century-yes, I realize that the century just started; cut me some slack here-and there is a reason it received 10 Grammy nominations and has gone platinum several times over.
The first thing that struck me about Santana's Supernatural album was the cover art. The “art” of cover art has slowly died off, with most artists going with a picture of themselves on the cover instead. Santana took a different route, using art from Michael Rios's "Mumbo Jumbo," a bright design that immediately sticks out among the other bland album covers. Inside of the CD booklet, Carlos Santana shows much respect for the guest artists on his album. While most artists go with a simple "thanks," Santana writes things like this praise for Dave Matthews: "Sharing music with you was a supremely wonderful experience. You inspired me tremendously with your natural ability to communicate with so much joy and elegance." Sure beats "thanks, Dave"!
Onto the actual album. Five of the 13 tracks are by Santana alone, all featuring the guitar riffs and distinctive Latin Santana sound. The album starts with "(Da Le) Yaleo" and also features "Africa Bamba," "Migra,” "El Farol," and "Primavera." The fun starts from this point, as Santana welcomes a wide variety of guest artists to join him.
The second song on the album, "Love of My Life," features Dave Matthews. The amazing voice and style of Matthews paired with the one-and-only guitar of Santana bang out an amazing track. Dave sings a classic love song, with lyrics such as "You're the love of my life / and the breath in my prayers" while Santana and other members of the Dave Matthews Band play in the background. For me, a Dave Matthews Band fan, this song is definitely a dream song. Not only do I get to hear Dave and the band, but they are paired together with the legendary Santana!
The third track could be the best song on the entire album, pairing Santana with Everlast. Everlast mixes great rock and blues sounds to begin with, but the mix of Everlast’s voice and guitar with Santana's guitar . . . all I can say is WOW! If you buy the album for one song, this is that one song.
Following that is the track that made the album such a hit in the first place. The song is still all over the radio and music networks, and itis sure to continue to play for quite a while. Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 teams up with Santana on "Smooth," the hot song of the fall and winter. Rob Thomas really gets into the song, and Santana goes wild on his guitar. If you haven't heard this song, where have you been?
Lauryn Hill, the Grammy darling of 1999 (compared to Santana in 2000), teams up with Santana and Cee-Lo for "Do You Like The Way." I'm not so sure about this one. Lauryn Hill is very talented, but I'm not so sure that her rap mixes well at all with Santana. Maybe it's just me. On the flip side, you have Lauryn's former Fugee partner, Wyclef Jean, producing Santana's second single, "Maria Maria." Wyclef's hip-hop beat in the background really brings out the Latin beat of the song, which is amazing. This song has started its rotation on the radio and music networks, so listen for it.
Santana says in the booklet that "Wishing It Was," featuring Eagle-Eye Cherry, "fulfills a promise I made to your father, Don Cherry, that one day we would join together and create healing music." Amen on that one! Eagle-Eye Cherry's singing works well with the strumming of Carlos Santana; it's a perfect pairing.
The album ends with one final guest, Eric Clapton. First of all, having Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana playing guitar together is a dream for any true rock fan. They are awesome alone and indescribable together. Clapton doesn't actually sing this time, but that makes the cut all the better. It's just two rock legends jamming together. Amazing stuff.
If you are one of the few people who hasn't bought your copy of Santana's Supernatural, I recommend that you go out and get it as soon as possible. It has music for everyone (well, except opera; sorry), nobody sings about killing anybody, and it is peaceful playing in the background. To end this review, I'm going to mention Santana's charity. The Milagro Foundation was founded by Carlos and Deborah Santana and is dedicated to providing financial assistance for educational, medical, and housing needs of children worldwide. Milagro is Spanish for "miracle," and the Santanas believe that life is a miracle and children everywhere deserve the opportunity to lead good lives. For more information, you can visit the Milagro Foundation online at http://www.santana.com/milagro. You can also contact me with feedback at andy1278@hotmail.com or https://www.angelfire.com/ga3/andy.
