Multiple elements came together for “Blessings and Miracles,” Carlos Santana’s upcoming release. But one thing made this project unique. Santana has yet to meet in person some of the artists he collaborated with to make it happen.
“We were all working in different places in different parts of the world,” said the multi-GRAMMY Award winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist during a phone interview.
MORE: Liverpool Legends Bring The Beatles To Life
Santana will be in concert at 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 25 at the James Brown Arena.
To create the album, he collaborated with a diverse group of artists, writers and producers including Chris Stapleton, G-Eazy, Diane Warren, Steve Winwood, Chick Corea, Rick Rubin, Corey Glover, Kirk Hammett, Ally Brook and Narada Michael Walden, among others to create a “genre-bending, hook-filled knockout musical celebration,” according to his website.
The Augusta concert is part of a tour to promote the new album, which is due out Oct. 15.
[adrotate banner=”54″]
“Move” was the first single from the album released to radio. It premiered Aug. 18. For it, Santana teamed up with Rob Thomas, the lead singer of Matchbox 20, once again. The two partnered for “Smooth” in 1999.
“A lot of the music just came to me,” he said of the recording.
“Move” came to him just as “Smooth” did two decades before, and he knew he had to record “Move” with Thomas. The song, a mix of pop and Latin rock, features Thomas backed up with the vocals of American Authors.
Others who joined Santana on the album are closer to the musician’s heart including his wife, Cindy Blackman Santana, his band’s drummer extraordinaire; his son, Salvador Santana on keyboard and vocals; and his daughter, Stella Santana’s lead vocals.
The guitarist said it was such a special thing to be able to make music with those he loves and called the experience “splendifierous.”
Not only will he share some of his new music, but fans are sure to hear some of the hits that they’ve associated with the artist over the years.
[adrotate banner=”13″]
Santana said he’s excited to be on tour again after the pandemic shutdown and is looking forward to being in front of his fans.
He plans to bring “living water, sounds and vibrations,” he said. “We will present to them another frequency, different from fear, darkness and separation.”
Santana’s career began in the late 1960s when he burst onto the scene with his self-titled debut album and his performance at Woodstock in 1969.
MORE: Young Frankenstein Keeps Cast in Stitches
He’s sold more than 100 million records and won 10 GRAMMY Awards. He was a 2013 Kennedy Center Awards winner and was ranked 15th on the Rolling Stones list of “100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time.
Tickets to Santana are $49.50-$149.50 and are available at aectix.com.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
[adrotate banner=”51″]
