Santana, the band led by famed guitarist Carlos Santana, has been a musical institution since it performed at Woodstock in 1969.
At that time, the band had yet to release its first album. Nevertheless, Santana gave a legendary performance that rocketed its members into a well-respected 40-year career.
The band’s new double-album, Multi-Dimensional Warrior (Columbia Legacy, April 1), pulls its featured material from a wide variety of less popular songs selected and sequenced by Carlos Santana himself. It is the first Santana collection to feature songs that were recorded across all of the labels Santana has produced with. Multi-Dimensional Warrior’s release date corresponds with a new tour and the 10-year anniversary of Santana’s induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
While many tracks come from Supernatural and Shaman, listeners only familiar with these more well-known albums will be surprised with the mood of Multi-Dimensional Warrior.
There are none of the novel collaborations with cross-genre musicians that brought the previously mentioned albums into mainstream attention. Instead, the included tracks feature more of the blues- and jazz- inspired side of Santana.
The first disc-which featured 14 tracks with vocals-proved relaxing. The album is definitely not for those looking for rock ballads or high-energy hits. Warrior is for anyone who enjoys a more tranquil sound or wants to set a mood with some hybrid Latin-jazz.
The second disc, also 14 tracks, immerses the listener with the same power of the first disc, sans vocals. The unique guitar stylings of Carlos Santana blend the tracks from both discs into one unified project.
Tracks leaving a lasting impression include “Luz, Armor y Vida” and “I Love You Much Too Much.” These two are a change of pace from other songs, featuring the heaviest guitar of all the tracks on the album.
While this collection will not bring Santana the same type of attention from new listeners that Supernatural and Shaman did, Warrior will bring old fans closer to the band. At the very least, it will serve as a mellow, classy party mix.
