''Blessings and Miracles'' is the twenty-sixth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

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 * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...

. 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 formed in October 2008 after Bertelsmann sold its st ...

and produced by

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...

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 country singer-songwriter and guitarist. Born in Kentucky, Stapleton moved to Nashville in 1996 to study for an engineering degree from Vanderbilt University, but dropped out to pur ...

Ally Brooke Allyson Brooke Bracey (''née'' Hernandez) (born July 7, 1993) is an American singer. She was a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony from 2012 to 2018. In 2017, Brooke was featured alongside rapper ASAP Ferg on the single "Look at Us Now" by ...

Corey Glover Corey Cornell James Glover (born November 6, 1964) is an American singer. He is the lead vocalist of the rock band Living Colour and has toured as the vocalist for the funk band Galactic. As an actor, he played Francis in the 1986 war movie ' ...

Kirk Hammett Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist of heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. Prior to joining Metallica, he co-formed the thrash metal band Exodus in 1979. In 2023, Hammett, along ...

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain (instrumental), Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba" ...

, Gayle Moran Corea,

Steve Winwood Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a guitarist, keyboard player, and vocalist prominent for his dis ...

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

to release the album.

Concept

When asked about the reason behind the change of style from '' Africa Speaks'' 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

pandemic A pandemic ( ) is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has a sudden increase in cases and spreads across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. Widespread endemic (epi ...

], 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 public 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-governme ...

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

, was inspired by

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

's and

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

'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 Procol Harum () were an English rock music, rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, in 1967. Their best-known recording is the 1967 hit single "A Whiter Shade of Pale", one of the few singles to have sold more than List of best-selling si ...

's "

A Whiter Shade of Pale "A Whiter Shade of Pale" is a song by the English rock band Procol Harum that was issued as their debut record on 12 May 1967. The single reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June and stayed there for six weeks. Without much promotion, ...

". According to Santana, he was in Hyde Park performing with

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

and, while Gary Clark Jr. was playing, he told

"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 lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...

Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer and songwriter. Tyler is best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the keyboards, h ...

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. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and 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 ...

) 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. They have released nine studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and three live albums. The band has gone thr ...

. ''Blessings and Miracles'' features two songs written by Santana's children: "Breathing Underwater", by Stella, and "Rumbalero", by 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

, 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 The ''Kronen Zeitung'' (), commonly known as the ''Krone'', is Austria's largest newspaper. It is known for being Eurosceptic. History The first issue of the ''Kronen Zeitung'' appeared on 2 January 1900. Gustav Davis, a former army officer, ...

'' 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 phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

''. 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, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' 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 covering music and entertainment. It was founded in Konstanz in 1996 by Rainer Henze 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 Abraxas (, variant form romanized: ) is a word of mystic meaning in the system of the Gnostic Basilides, being there applied to the "Great Archon" (), the princeps of the 365 spheres (). The word is found in Gnostic texts such as the '' Holy ...

'' and ''

Shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

''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 database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

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. Based in Oakland, California, he began his career in 2006 and released two independent studio albums before signing with RCA Records to releas ...

's and

Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has won an Academy Honorary Award, Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three consecutive ''Billboard'' Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year from 19 ...

'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

;Santana *

– lead and rhythm guitars, percussion (1 and 15) *

Cindy Blackman Santana Cindy Blackman (born November 18, 1959), known as Cindy Blackman Santana since she married guitarist Carlos Santana in 2010, is an American jazz and rock drummer performing since the 80s. Blackman has recorded several jazz albums as a bandleader ...

– drums (except on 4 and 7) * Benny Rietveld – bass (except on 4, 7, and 13) * David K. Mathews – keyboards (except on 7 and 13) * Karl Perazzo – timbales, congas, percussion (except on 5), vocals (3 and 12) * Andy Vargas – lead vocals (7) *

Tommy Anthony Tommy Anthony (born August 17, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He has released three studio albums. His single "I Don't Know You Anymore" charted in the top 40. In 2012, he won an El Premio ASCAP Award ...

– rhythm guitar (9, 10, and 12), lead vocals (12) Paoli Mejias and Ray Greene are also credited on the album as members of the Santana touring band but do not perform on any of the tracks. ;Additional musicians * Salvador Santana – keyboards (3), vocals (3) * Asdru Sierra – synthesizer and drum programming (3), lead vocals (3) *

– lead vocals (4), backing vocals (4), guitar (4) * J.T. Cure – bass guitar (4) * Derek Mixon – drums (4) * Tammy Rogers – violin (4), octave violin (4) * Rob Thomas – lead vocals (5) * Zac Barnett – lead and backing vocals (5) * Matt Sanchez – percussion (5), programming (5), backing vocals (5) * Andy Snitzer – tenor and baritone saxophones (5), horn arrangement (5) * Michael Davis – trombone (5) * Raúl Agraz – trumpet (5) * Tony Kadleck – trumpet (5) * Cindy Mizelle, Dave Rublin, Erica Hansen, Jerry Barnes, Jessie Wagner, Katie Sanchez, Lisa Fischer – backing vocals (5) *

– lead vocals (6) *

– keyboards (6, 13), bass (13), drum programming (13) * Justus Dobrin – additional keyboards (6) *

– lead vocals (7) * Peter Stengaard – keyboards (7, 8), programming (7), drums (7), bass (7), additional guitar (7) * G-Eazy – lead vocals (8) * Ish Cano – additional guitar (8), programming (8), vocals (8) * Gerald Gillum – rap composition (8) * Corey Glover – lead vocals (9) * Mark Osegueda – lead vocals (10) *

– lead guitar (10) * Stella Santana – lead vocals (11) * Avi Snow – guitar (11), backing vocals (11) * Gayle Moran Corea – lead vocals (14), angel choir (14) *

– keyboards (14)

Charts

References

{{Santana 2021 albums Santana (band) albums BMG Rights Management albums