The smoothest Latin grooves of the moment come not from Ricky Martin or Enrique Iglesias or even from the lovely Jennifer Lopez. Forget those "newcomers" and put your bet on 40-year veteran Carlos Santana, whose new album with his groups, also called Santana makes all those sexy Latinos sound like neophytes.
Titled Supernatural, the album just recently garnered nine Grammy nominations and after three months of release continues to set new sales records all over the world. Not to mention all those sold-out concerts attended by Santana fans of the baby boomer generation and younger ones still gasping at the reality that there are indeed pop stars who can make music the way the 50-something Santana does.
It is a fact that today's pop charts boast of its youngest inhabitants ever. Think 13 to 30 years old. And I know that for many it does seem amazing to find Santana outselling all those teenage idols with a number one album and single. Smooth at the same time. But if you will take the trouble to listen to Supernatural, you will surely agree that tight buns and a toothy smile do pale in comparison to real music artistry.
This is not to denigrate the other record releases in the market these days. It would be great for all of us if each one of them will become a hit and make lots of money. But if your budget can afford only one album, then it has to be Supernatural. This is better than anything Santana has done before. And this is one guy who has done a lot of ground-breaking stuff like Evil Ways and Black Magic Woman from the psychedelic era.
Santana's guitar chops are as spritely as ever. He is also still using his old formula. That is take the sounds of his native Mexican-American roots and then combine them with other music forms. But Supernatural seems to have synthesized the best he has to offer and the result is a unique celebration of pop, rock, R&B, hip hop, jazz spiced with a cha-cha or a salsa beat. The effect on the listener is simply fantastic and just like what the hit single where he collaborates with Matchbox 20's Rob Thomas says, the entire production can truly be described as "smooth".
Matthews is one of several famous names who very gladly accepted the privilege of joining Santana in this album. Aside from him, Supernatural also has Dave Matthews in Love of My Life, which could be the second single, Everlast in Put Your Lights On, Do You Like the Way with Lauryn Hill and Cee-Lo, Maria Maria produced by Wyclef Jean of the Fugees, Corazon Spinado with the Latin group Mana, Wishing It Was with Eagle-Eye Cherry and The Calling by Eric Clapton, where the two guitar champs duet to close the album.
Other cuts are (Da Le) Taleo, Africa Bamba, Migra. Primavera and the lovely and languorous El Farol, which is one of the standouts in the album.
Another pop idol from long ago who has been showing today's generation how to make real music is Tom Jones. Like Santana he has been around for 40 years and continues to redefine himself for each new batch of music lovers. And also like Santana, his latest album, Reload, finds him working with several of today's hottest music artists.
Not one of them is of course as hot as Tom Jones. Just think, is there anybody around who can put so much feeling into the song Sexbomb as much as Tom Jones does? And that is why he continues to make hits and remains a star.
Reload includes Burning Down the House with The Cardigans, Mama Told Me Not to Come with the Stereophonics, Are You Gonna Go My Way with Robbie Williams, All Mine with the Divine Comedy, Sunny Afternoon with Space, I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone with James Dean Bradfield, Sexbomb with Mousse T., You Need Love I Do with Heather Small, Looking Out My Window with the James Taylor Quartet, Sometimes We Cry with Van Morri-son, Lust for Life with The Pretenders, Little Green Bag with the Barenaked Ladies, Ain't That a Lot of Love with Simply Red, She Drives Me Crazy with Zucchero, Never Tear Us Apart from Natalie Imbruglia. Baby It's Cold Outside and Motherless Child with Portishead.
Tom Jones and Reload sounds great and everybody who once wondered what would happen to Tom Jones in the ever-changing music scene is now eating humble pie.