Shaman

Product description

Santana ~ Shaman

Amazon.com

How could Carlos Santana hope to follow the massive comeback album Supernatural? The solution he settled upon was to once again pull in as many guest artists as possible. Shaman features a slew of stars, but, despite their presence, the instrumental "Victory Is Won" is the standout track here, as Santana blazes through an exhibition of his patented fusion of Latin and rock. In contrast, the sugary pop single "The Game of Love," sung by Michelle Branch, illustrates the lack of consistency that mars the album. Only Ozomatli and Macy Gray seem to totally get Santana. That said, his cover of Angelique Kidjo's "Adouma" is storming, and Santana stands strong when he ventures into world-music territory ("Foo Foo," "Aye, Aye"). However, if the celebrated guitarist had concentrated a little more on who he is and not on who he believes people would like him to be, he'd have made a better album. --Jake Barnes