SUPERNATURAL

It is the year 2000 and in temperate Australia the leaves are just beginning to turn. Surprisingly, the number one album on the charts is by an artist whose debut record was released at the tail end of the 1960s. Yet recent sales figures for the millennial album Supernatural are, well, supernatural. So it is that, eighteen albums into a storied career, Carlos Santana is celebrating his biggest seller by far, and has created a commercial peak for the band that has born his name across seven decades.

As one would expect, Supernatural has lashings of signature Carlos Santana guitar; it is the fiery spirit flowing through the entire album. What is less expected is the leader’s use of guests. Perhaps he looked at John Lee Hooker’s roster of collaborators on 1989’s The Healer. Certainly Santana’s pairing with the blues legend on the opening title cut of that album is a highlight. A decade later, Santana updated the formula by using a range of guests who, with one notable exception, contribute vocals. What is more, they are mostly several generations younger than the veteran guitarist. Dave Matthews, Everlast, Rob Thomas (Matchbox Twenty), Lauryn Hill, Eagle-Eye Cherry… these musicians enabled Santana to achieve a rare feat: produce and album that appeals across the generational divide. 

For all the studio sheen, this highly polished collection of songs comes acrossas energised and passionate. "Smooth", with Rob Thomas singing, was a hit single that achieved the notable feat of holding the #1 (US) position at the end of the twentieth century. It demonstrates how divergent styles can meld into something special if the raw material is good enough; the success of the single helped sales of the parent album to go stratospheric around the world. Similarly, Wyclef Jean (Fugees) helps make "Maria Maria" a funky highlight. A personal favourite is the powerful "Migra", the rockiest track in this set. 

As expected there is a powerful Latin current flowing through the album, sparkling brightly on the opening "(Da Le) Yaleo" and reappearing at regular intervals. Eagle-Eye Cheery’s track, "Wishing it was" is a good example, while the closing (mostly instrumental) "The Calling" features Santana and coeval Eric Clapton trading lines. It’s a delightfully jazzy conversation between two six-string legends.

With thirteen songs across the four sides of this 2LP set, this is a huge serving of music to digest. Indeed there was some criticism of the album when it was first released, directed at the profusion of guests and the seventy-five minute length. But that is a wonderful part of the vinyl experience, isn’t it? We can spin any of the four sides in any order, diving in and out of Santana’s colourful world for exactly as long as required to achieve guitar transcendence. It’s almost supernatural.

Grace Notes

• Supernatural won nine Grammy awards and topped the US charts, the first Santana album to do so since 1971’s Santana III. 
• If you are new to Santana’s world, the 1974 Greatest Hits compilation provides an excellent introduction and is in stock at the time of posting. 
• For Santana enthusiasts, at the time of writing a pre-order is available for the electrifying 3LP live set Lotus, presenting the band at its jazz-rock peak.

© Bruce Jenkins—December 2024