SANTANA - Corazón (2014) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Corazón is Carlos Santana's first album for a major label since 2002's Shaman. It marks his reunion with executive producer Clive Davis, who masterminded 1999's multi-platinum Supernatural. Billed by RCA as his "first Latin album," Corazón is the studio counterpart to the guitarist's HBO Latino concert special that featured his band performing with a host of Latin music superstars in his native Mexico. The singing was (as it is here) mostly in Spanish. For the most part, Santana actually sounds hungry again. His studio band is filled with killers, including drummer Dennis Chambers, timbalero Karl Perazza, and conguero Raul Rekow. Opener "Saideira" features his trademark tone in a passionate, stinging, gritty exchange with vocalist Samuel Rosa, from the Brazilian rock and reggae band Skank. Jittering, insistent horns and layers of percussion push both men to escalate the battle. Juanes lends his soulful croon to first single "La Flaca." It's got an anthemic hook with layers of backing vocals framing Santana's tight and tasty solos. Los Fabulosos Cadillacs back the guitarist on "Mal Bicho," an aggressive, careening cumbia. "Oye 2014" is a Latin hip-hop reprise of "Oye Como Va" with the now ubiquitous Pitbull. Though interesting, it falls flat. Bob Marley's "Iron Lion Zion" features Ziggy Marley and Colombian rappers ChocQuibTown in a fusion that works, melding cumbia, reggae, and hip-hop. In "Una Noche en Napoles" -- a cover of Pink Martini's "Una Notte a Napoli" -- Mexican-American singer Lila Downs, Spanish cantaora Niña Pastori, and Argentine folksinger Soledad meet Santana's nylon-string guitar in a steamy buleria that weaves their voices yet retains their distinctive individual styles. Gloria Estefan appears on the lilting pop son "Besos de Lejos" and gives Santana a chance to showcase his rumba chops. Romeo Santos turns in a non-bachata performance on "Margarita." His bilingual lyrics and lilting high tenor are wed to airy soulful Caribbean R&B. Santana ties it to the earth with taut phrasing through a biting solo. Miguel's "Indy" is babymaker pop-soul with a spiritual lyric. The composer sings and plays guitar accompanied only by Santana and Perazza. The jazzy salsa of "Yo Soy la Luz" was composed by Santana and features not only wife Cindy Blackman on drums, but also saxophonist Wayne Shorter playing sweltering fills and a gorgeous solo. While it's true that this is another attempt to repackage Santana for a new audience, to dismiss Corazón for that reason would discount the creativity and innovation currently at work in the diverse world of Latin popular music. In addition, Santana himself shows renewed vitality as a musician. While some cuts are forgettable, the guitarist's engagement with Latin pop is quite satisfying. by Thom Jurek  
Tracklist :
1    Saideira (Spanish Version) 3:55
Adapted By [Spanish Version] – Juan Pablo Sorin, Rodrigo F. Leão, Samuel Rosa
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Congas – Raul Rekow
Drums – Dennis Chambers
Engineer [Assistant At Odds On Studios] – Dave Diffin, Josh Connolly
Engineer [Guitar Engineer] – Jim Reitzel
Engineer [Mix Engineering] – Justin Hergett
Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Bill Malina
Featuring – Samuel Rosa
Keyboards – David K. Mathews, Zac Rae
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana
Mixed By – Tony Maserati
Producer – Lester Mendez
Recorded By [Spanish Vocals] – Dudu Marote
Rhythm Guitar – Tim Pierce, Tommy Anthony
Timbales – Karl Perazzo
Trombone – Jeff Cressman
Trumpet – Bill Ortiz
Written-By – Rodrigo Leão, Samuel Rosa
2    La Flaca 4:11
Arranged By – Carlos Santana
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Congas – Raul Rekow
Drums – Dennis Chambers
Engineer [Assistant At Odds On Studios] – Josh Connolly
Engineer [Guitar Engineer] – Jim Reitzel
Engineer [Mix Engineering] – James Krausse
Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Bill Malina
Featuring – Juanes
Keyboards – David K. Mathews, Zac Rae
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana
Mixed By – Tony Maserati
Producer – Lester Mendez
Rhythm Guitar – Tim Pierce, Tommy Anthony
Timbales – Karl Perazzo
Written-By – Pau Donés
3    Mal Bicho 3:38
Bass – Flavio Cianciarulo
Congas – Paoli Mijias
Drum Programming – Josh Connolly
Drums – Fernando Ricciardi
Engineer [Assistant At Odds On Studios] – Dave Diffin, Josh Connolly
Engineer [Guitar Engineer] – Jim Reitzel
Engineer [Mix Engineering] – James Krausse
Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Bill Malina
Featuring – Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
Keyboards – David K. Mathews, Mario Siperman, Zac Rae
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana
Mixed By – Tony Maserati
Producer – Lester Mendez
Rhythm Guitar – Flavio Cianciarulo, Tim Pierce
Tenor Saxophone – Sergio Rotman
Timbales – Karl Perazzo
Trumpet – Daniel Lozano
Vocals – Vicentico
Written-By – Flavio Oscar Cianciarulo
4    Oye 2014
A&R – Shawn "Tubby" Holiday
Engineer [Assistant At Odds On Studios] – Josh Connolly
Engineer [Mix Engineering] – James Krausse
Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Jim Reitzel
Featuring – Pitbull
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana
Mixed By – Tony Maserati
Producer – The Cataracs
Vocals [Vocal Performance] – Jovany Javier, Ximena Muñoz
Written-By – Armando Christian Perez, Niles Hollowell-Dhar, Ernest 'Tito' Puente
5    Iron Lion Zion
Arranged By – Carlos Santana
Arranged By [Horn Arrangement] – David Stout
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Congas – Raul Rekow
Drums – Dennis Chambers
Engineer [Assistant At Ocean Way Recording] – Scott Moore
Engineer [Assistant At Odds On Studios] – Josh Connolly
Engineer [Guitar Engineer] – Jim Reitzel
Engineer [Mix Engineering] – James Krausse
Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Bill Malina
Featuring – ChocQuibTown, Ziggy Marley
Keyboards – David K. Mathews, Zac Rae
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana
Mixed By – Tony Maserati
Performer [Sample From "Oye Como Va"] – Santana
Producer – Lester Mendez
Rhythm Guitar – Tommy Anthony
Tenor Saxophone – Dave Pozzi
Timbales, Percussion – Karl Perazzo
Trombone – David Stout
Trumpet – Harry Kim
Written-By – Bob Marley
6    Una Noche En Nápoles 4:30
Adapted By – Claudia Brant
Arranged By – Carlos Santana
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Congas – Raul Rekow
Engineer [Assistant At Odds On Studios] – Josh Connolly
Engineer [Guitar Engineer] – Jim Reitzel
Engineer [Mix Engineering] – James Krausse
Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Bill Malina
Featuring – Lila Downs, Niña Pastori, Soledad
Keyboards – David K. Mathews, Zac Rae
Mixed By – Tony Maserati
Producer – Lester Mendez
Rhythm Guitar – Tim Pierce, Tommy Anthony
Timbales, Percussion – Karl Perazzo
Twelve-String Guitar [Acoustic], Acoustic Guitar [Nylon Guitar] – Carlos Santana
Written-By – China F. Forbes, Thomas Mack Lauderdale
7    Besos De Lejos 4:17
Adapted By [Spanish Adaptation] – Gloria M. Estefan
Arranged By – Javier Conde Alonso
Backing Vocals – Larissa R. Nascimento
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Congas – Raul Rekow
Drums – Dennis Chambers
Engineer [Additional Engineering] – Danny Ponce, Ron Taylor
Engineer [Assistant] – Izzy Maccio, Jimmy Sanchez
Engineer [Recording Engineer, Percussion In Brazil] – Tuco Barini
Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Jim Reitzel
Engineer [Vocal Engineer] – Dave Poler
Featuring – Gloria Estefan
Guitar [Additional] – Emily Estefan
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana
Mixed By – Eric Schilling
Percussion [Additional] – Laercio Da Costa
Producer – Emilio Estefan
Production Manager – José Maldonado
Rhythm Guitar – Tommy Anthony
Technician [Technical Support] – Kurt Berge
Timbales – Karl Perazzo
Violin – Pedro Alfonso
Written-By – Gerard Mendes, Teofilo Chantre
8    Margarita 4:01
Arranged By – Carlos Santana
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Congas – Raul Rekow
Drums – Dennis Chambers
Engineer [Assistant At Odds On Studios] – Josh Connolly
Engineer [Guitar Engineer] – Jim Reitzel
Engineer [Mix Engineering] – Justin Hergett
Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Bill Malina
Featuring – Romeo Santos
Keyboards – David K. Mathews, Zac Rae
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana
Mixed By – Tony Maserati
Producer – Lester Mendez
Rhythm Guitar – Tommy Anthony
Timbales, Percussion – Karl Perazzo
Written-By – Romeo Santos
9    Indy 3:26
A&R – Shawn "Tubby" Holiday
Engineer [Assistant At Odds On Studios] – Josh Connolly
Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Jim Reitzel
Featuring – Miguel
Lead Guitar, Percussion – Carlos Santana
Mixed By – Manny Marroquin
Mixed By [Assistant] – Chris Galland, Delbert Bowers
Percussion – Karl Perazzo
Producer – Miguel
Rhythm Guitar – Miguel
Written-By – Miguel Pimentel
10    Feel It Coming Back 4:09
Adapted By – Christian Zalles
Arranged By – Carlos Santana
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Congas – Paoli Mejias
Drums – Dennis Chambers
Engineer [Assistant At Odds On Studios] – Josh Connolly
Engineer [Guitar Engineer] – Jim Reitzel
Engineer [Mix Engineering] – James Krausse
Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Bill Malina
Featuring – Diego Torres
Keyboards – David K. Mathews, Zac Rae
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana
Mixed By – Tony Maserati
Other [Vocal Coach] – Brika
Producer – Lester Mendez
Recorded By [Spanish Vocals] – Julio Reyes
Rhythm Guitar – Tim Pierce, Tommy Anthony
Timbales, Percussion – Karl Perazzo
Written-By – Rafael Esparza-Ruiz, Yoel Henríquez
11    Yo Soy La Luz 4:06
Arranged By – Carlos Santana
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Co-producer – Cindy Blackman Santana
Congas – Paoli Mejias
Drums – Cindy Blackman Santana
Engineer [Assistant At Odds On Studios] – Josh Connolly
Engineer [Mix Engineering] – Jim Reitzel
Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Jim Reitzel
Featuring – Cindy Blackman Santana, Wayne Shorter
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar, Percussion – Carlos Santana
Mixed By – Carlos Santana, Jim Reitzel
Producer – Carlos Santana
Rhythm Guitar, Vocals – Tommy Anthony
Saxophone – Wayne Shorter
Timbales, Percussion – Karl Perazzo
Trombone – Jeff Cressman
Trumpet – Bill Ortiz
Vocals – Andy Vargas, Tony Lindsay
Written-By – Carlos Santana
12    I See Your Face 1:19
Arranged By – Carlos Santana
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Congas – Paoli Mejias
Drums – Cindy Blackman Santana
Engineer [Assistant At Odds On Studios] – Josh Connolly
Engineer [Guitar Engineer] – Jim Reitzel
Engineer [Mix Engineering] – Justin Hergett
Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Bill Malina, Jim Reitzel
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar, Percussion – Carlos Santana
Mixed By – Carlos Santana, Jim Reitzel
Producer – Carlos Santana, Lester Mendez
Programmed By [Keyboard Programming] – Lester Mendez
Rhythm Guitar – Tommy Anthony
Written-By – Bola Sete