''Blessings and Miracles'' is the twenty-sixth
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by American rock band
Santana
Santana may refer to:
Transportation
* Volkswagen Santana, an automobile
* Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles
* Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer
Boats
* Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...
. The album was released on October 15, 2021, by Starfaith LLC and
BMG Rights Management
BMG Rights Management GmbH (also known simply as BMG) is an international music company based in Berlin, Germany. It combines the activities of a music publisher and a record label.
BMG was founded in October 2008 after Bertelsmann sold its ...
and produced by
Carlos Santana
Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...
himself, who prepared it over the course of two years.
The album features a number of guests, including
Chris Stapleton
Christopher Alvin Stapleton (born April 15, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in Staffordsville, Kentucky. In 2001, Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to ...
,
Ally Brooke
Allyson Brooke Hernandez (born July 7, 1993) is an American singer. She is a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony. Brooke began to establish herself in 2017 as a solo artist, featuring on Lost Kings' " Look at Us Now" with rapper ASAP Ferg. ...
,
Corey Glover,
Kirk Hammett,
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...
,
Gayle Moran Corea,
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a keyboard player and vocalist prominent for his disti ...
and
Rob Thomas, with whom Santana recorded again over 20 years after their hit "
Smooth".
Many of the collaborations were recorded remotely.
In July 2021, he announced his signing with
BMG Rights Management
BMG Rights Management GmbH (also known simply as BMG) is an international music company based in Berlin, Germany. It combines the activities of a music publisher and a record label.
BMG was founded in October 2008 after Bertelsmann sold its ...
to release the album.
Concept
When asked about the reason behind the change of style from ''
Africa Speaks
''Africa Speaks!'' is a 1930 American documentary film directed by Walter Futter and narrated by Lowell Thomas. It is an exploitation film.
Premise
Paul L. Hoefler heads a 1928 expedition to Africa capturing wildlife and tribes on film.
Pr ...
'' to ''Blessings and Miracles'', Santana said it was "intuition" which told him to "get back on the radio in the four corners of the world and touch people's hearts. Because of this
COVID-19 pandemic">pandemic
A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...
], people need hope and courage. ..Blessings and Miracles is a divine attempt to help people have a deep sense of self-worth. There are a lot of people out there who have very low self-esteem."
He held a think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
meeting at his office and asked for names that could help him in his objective to get back on the radio.
According to Santana, the title of the album comes from "my belief that we're born with heavenly powers that allows us to create blessings and miracles". He believes music has such power. He also saw the album as "mystical medicine music to heal an infected world of fear and darkness." The cover art features an image of Tlāloc, the Aztec god of rain.
Song information
"Joy", featuring Chris Stapleton
Christopher Alvin Stapleton (born April 15, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in Staffordsville, Kentucky. In 2001, Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to ...
, was inspired by Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...
's and John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
's ideals of union and was defined by Santana as "the ultimate medicine and remedy against fear."
The album features a cover of Procol Harum's " A Whiter Shade of Pale". According to Santana, he was in Hyde Park
Hyde Park may refer to:
Places
England
* Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London
* Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds
* Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield
* Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester
Austra ...
performing with Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
and, while Gary Clark Jr. was playing, he told Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a keyboard player and vocalist prominent for his disti ...
"I hear you singing 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' and playing the organ and me playing guitar, and doing it completely differently — more like an African, Cuban, Puerto Rican guajira style. Very sexy." With the help of Narada Michael Walden
Narada Michael Walden ( ; Michael Walden; born April 23, 1952) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He acquired the nickname Narada from Sri Chinmoy.
He began his career as a drummer, working primarily in the jazz ...
, the collaboration was arranged.
Santana originally invited Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
's Steven Tyler
Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...
to sing on "America for Sale", but he wasn't available, so he asked the other guest of the song (Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
's Kirk Hammett) for a suggestion and he came up with his friend Mark Osegueda from Death Angel
Death Angel is an American thrash metal band from Daly City, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released nine studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and three live albums. The band has gone ...
.
''Blessings and Miracles'' features two songs written by Santana's children: "Breathing Underwater", by Stella, and "Rumbalero", by Salvador
Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to:
* Salvador (name)
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
*Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music
** ''Salvador'' ( ...
. When he heard the latter for the first time, he had to Shazam it to find out it was his own son's music. He requested permission from both to record their songs on his then upcoming album and both thought he was kidding at first.
"Yo Estaré", the Spanish version of the song "Break" featuring Ally Brooke
Allyson Brooke Hernandez (born July 7, 1993) is an American singer. She is a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony. Brooke began to establish herself in 2017 as a solo artist, featuring on Lost Kings' " Look at Us Now" with rapper ASAP Ferg. ...
, was released as a single on April 15, 2022, having previously only been released on the vinyl version of the album.
Critical reception
'' Kronen Zeitung'' felt that the album "only partially succeeds in terms of the quality of the 15 songs" and that it didn't "come close" to 1999's ''Supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
''. He thought some aspects of the album were "calculated", such as the guests.
The French edition of ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' felt that the album could be "a little too mainstream for those who dream of a 'real' return to the roots" and that ''Blessing and Miracles'' "perhaps does not carry in it the hoped-for miracles". They praised songs like "Santana Celebration" and "Peace Power" and rated the album 3.5/5.
In a review for Metal.de
Metal.de is a German-language online magazine launched in 1996. The magazine focuses on the subgenres of heavy metal and hard rock, but also reports on similar styles. ''Metal.de'' foundation in 1996 makes it one of the longest-running heavy me ...
, Christian Flack said the album proves that Santana's "creativity and musical genius are far from exhausted" and felt it was "fresh and charismatic". He didn't see any weak moments and ultimately called it "a strong, musically broad-based ..and highly ambitious album with a star cast and outstanding guitar solos."
Writing for Laut.de
laut.de is a German online magazine dealing exclusively with entertainment music, especially pop music, rock music, alternative music, alternative, Metal music, metal, hip-hop, jazz and Techno music, techno. It comprises record reviews, intervi ...
, Philipp Kause saw the album as a sort of a "sampler" due to the many guests and genres and congratulated it for containing "something for everyone". He also felt that the album "seems much more suitable for everyday use, less cerebral, no longer tailored to a jazz / exoticism elite" and that "snippets of film from the Woodstock concert document will appear in your mind's eye while listening to it". On the other hand, he felt that the album failed at harmonizing "the beautiful charm of such sentimental songs like 'Whiter Shade of Pale' with crowbar production".
Michael Galluci felt the album is "all over the place, but not without occasional highlights". He thought the album constantly shifts from songs reminiscent of their earliest years to music similar to '' Abraxas'' and ''Shaman
Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...
''s. He also thought Santana wasn't as overshadowed by the guests as he was in his successful 1990s/2000s albums. He finished his review by calling it "a more genuine representation of Santana's music as they roll into another decade."
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
's Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...
saw the album's spirit as "formulaic" rather than "fresh" as it was in 1999 (when ''Supernatural'' was released). He felt the guest vocalists were genuinely enthusiastic about their songs and conceded that "awkward fusions" such as G-Eazy
Gerald Earl Gillum (born May 24, 1989), better known by his stage name G-Eazy, is an American rapper. His first major-label album, '' These Things Happen'', was released on June 23, 2014, and peaked at number 3 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 ...
's and Diane Warren
Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has received several awards including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three ''Billboard'' Music Awards and an Honorary Academy Award.
Wa ...
's feats "make Blessings and Miracles seem like an album created by artists and not in a corporate boardroom". He ultimately said "that these diverse strands don't quite get threaded together is OK: as a collection of moments, Blessings and Miracles does the job."
Track listing
Personnel
* Carlos Santana
Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...
: Lead and Rhythm Guitar, Percussion
* Kirk Hammett : Lead Guitar
* Tommy Anthony : Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals
* Ish Cano : Additionnal Guitar, Programming
* Benny Rietveld : Bass Guitar
* J.T. Cure : Bass Guitar
* Tammy Rogers : Violin, Octave Violin
* Narada Michael Walden
Narada Michael Walden ( ; Michael Walden; born April 23, 1952) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He acquired the nickname Narada from Sri Chinmoy.
He began his career as a drummer, working primarily in the jazz ...
: Keyboards, Bass & Drum Programming
* Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...
: Keyboards, Fender Rhodes Electric Piano
* David K. Mathews : Keyboards, Hammond B3 Organ
* Salvador Santana : Keyboards, Synthesizers
* Peter Stengaard : Additionnal Keyboards, Programming, Drums, Bass, Additional Guitar
* Justus Dobrin : Additionnal Keyboards
* Asdru Sierra : Synthesizers, Drum Programming, Lead Vocals
* Gayle Moran Corea : Lead Vocals, Angel Choir
* Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a keyboard player and vocalist prominent for his disti ...
: Lead Vocals
* Stella Santana : Lead Vocals
* Rob Thomas : Lead Vocals
* Chris Stapleton
Christopher Alvin Stapleton (born April 15, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in Staffordsville, Kentucky. In 2001, Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to ...
: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Guitar
* Andy Vargas : Lead Vocals
* Ally Brooke
Allyson Brooke Hernandez (born July 7, 1993) is an American singer. She is a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony. Brooke began to establish herself in 2017 as a solo artist, featuring on Lost Kings' " Look at Us Now" with rapper ASAP Ferg. ...
: Lead Vocals
* Mark Osegueda : Lead Vocals
* G-Eazy : Lead Vocals
* Corey Glover : Lead Vocals
* Gerald Gillum : Rap
* Andy Snitzer : Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Horn Arrangement
* Michael Davis : Trombone
* Raúl Agraz : Trumpet
* Tony Kadleck : Trumpet
* Cindy Blackman Santana : Drums
* Derek Mixon : Drums
* Karl Perazzo : Timbales, Congas, Percussion, Vocals
* Matt Sanchez : Percussion, Programming, Backing Vocals
* Cindy Mizelle, Dave Rublin, Erica Hansen, Jerry Barnes, Jessie Wagner, Katie Sanchez, Lisa Fischer, Zac Barnett : Backing Vocals
Charts
References
* Personnel : https://www.discogs.com/fr/release/20953015-Santana-Blessings-And-Miracles
{{Santana
2021 albums
Santana (band) albums
BMG Rights Management albums