Much has been written about Carlos Santana’s guitar sound. It’s instantly recognizable to several generations and has graced hits every decade since 1969 when his eponymous band Santana released its debut album and made an iconic appearance at Woodstock that would be preserved on film. He pioneered a singing, stinging sustained electric tone channeled through Gibson (and later PRS) guitars, and phrasing that seemed conjured more than picked.
Santana refers to “the value of one note” in an October 2020 edition of Rick Rubin’s Broken Record podcast, where he describes playing in bands led by his violinist father. It’s easy to imagine a violin replacing the guitar tone in Santana’s version of “Black Magic Woman” and make the connection to Santana’s years soaking up his father’s playing. It’s been a family affair for him since day one, continuing with his 26th album, Blessings and Miracles.
The album, released in October, is a return to radio-ready pop for the 74-year-old musician after following his muse in an esoteric direction for 2019’s Rubin-produced Africa Speaks. Ally Brooke, Chris Stapleton, Corey Glover, Kirk Hammett, Chick Corea, and Rob Thomas are in the supporting cast, with Steve Winwood providing vocals in a cover of “Whiter Shade of Pale.” Former Fifth Harmony member Brooke also contributed vocals to Santana’s latest single “Yo Estaré,” the Spanish version of album track “Break.”
An overt family reference on Blessings is “Song for Cindy,” a dreamy musical portrait of his wife and favorite drummer Cindy Blackman Santana. The song, co-produced with Narada Michael Walden, is Santana’s best example of melodic tone on the album. It’s brief, fueled by passion and power, and exemplifies his effective use of wah pedal to set his six-string runs ablaze.
Blessings features compositions from Santana’s children, with Salvador Santana contributing rhythm heavy “Rumbalero” and Stella Santana co-writing ballad “Breathing Underwater” with Avi Snow and MVCA as well as contributing vocals. Thomas, a chart-success godsend to Santana, is back for sly, bombastic “Move,” and an argument can be made that Santana’s fluid, flurrying style is a precursor to the supercharged playing of Hammett, who makes his second guest appearance on a Santana album with “America for Sale.” The Metallica guitarist pulls the diverse album in a heavy direction with help from Death Angel singer Mark Osegueda.
Santana has cited many musical inspirations as well as political ones that informed his creative spirit. John Coltrane, B.B. King, and activist Dolores Huerta are a few names he speaks of with reverence, but Jimi Hendrix rises above all. The late guitar god is paid tribute on the “Ghost of Future Pull” instrumentals that open and close Blessings, which seem to pay homage to the Jimi Hendrix Experience song “Third Stone from the Sun.” After a lifetime of playing, Santana still sounds spirited, inspired and ever more conscious of the value of one note.
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