Supernatural (Santana album) – 1999
Supernatural is the seventeenth studio album by the Latin rock band Santana, it was released on June 15, 1999. It went 15 times platinum in the US and won eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year as well as three Latin Grammy Awards including Record of the Year.
The album, conceived by Clive Davis and A&R’d by Pete Ganbarg, was a major global hit, eventually selling more than 30 million copies. It is the most successful album by Santana, hitting the number one spot in ten countries, including the United States. It is also the highest-selling album of original material released by any artist who had already been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame prior to its release and second highest-selling overall behind The Beatles compilation album 1.
Supernatural debuted at number nineteen on the Billboard 200 on July 3, 1999 but topped (after 18 weeks) the chart on October 30, 1999 and stayed there for 12 non-consecutive weeks. It included the hit single “Smooth”, which featured Matchbox Twenty singer Rob Thomas on vocals, and was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks. The follow-up single, “Maria Maria” (which featured The Product G&B), was number one on the same chart for 10 weeks. Santana and Rob Thomas won three Grammy Awards for their collaboration on the song “Smooth” while Santana and Everlast won another for the song “Put Your Lights On”. Santana also won a Grammy for “Maria Maria”. Carlos Santana became the first Hispanic to win the Record of the Year Grammy Award, while the Album of the Year Grammy Award was bestowed upon Davis.
Among the other guest artists are Eric Clapton, Eagle-Eye Cherry, Lauryn Hill, Dave Matthews, Maná and Cee-Lo Green.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic noted that “there doesn’t seem to be a track that doesn’t have a guest star, which brings up the primary problem with the album it never develops a consistent voice that holds the album together.” He added that the album is “directionless” but concluded by saying “the peak moments of Supernatural are some of Santana’s best music of the ’90s, which does make it a successful comeback.” Rolling Stone writer David Wild also noted the amount of featured artists on the album. He goes on to say “Not everything is quite so appealing”, mentioning the song, “Do You Like The Way” featuring Lauryn Hill and Cee Lo Green, saying that it “seems a bit more forced.”
Track listing
Standard edition
No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. “(Da Le) Yaleo”
Carlos Santana Shakara Mutela Christian Polloni
Santana 5:51
2. “Love of My Life” (featuring Dave Matthews and Carter Beauford)
Santana Matthews
Stephen Harris Santana
5:48
3. “Put Your Lights On” (featuring Everlast) Everlast
Dante Ross John Gamble
4:47
4. “Africa Bamba”
Santana Ismaïla Touré and Sixu Tidiane Touré (as Touré Kunda) Karl Perazzo[15]
Santana 4:40
5. “Smooth” (featuring Rob Thomas)
Itaal Shur Rob Thomas
Matt Serletic 4:56
6. “Do You Like the Way” (featuring Lauryn Hill and CeeLo Green) Hill Hill 5:52
7. “Maria Maria” (featuring Sincere (David McRae)[16] and Money Harm (Marvin Moore-Hough) (as The Product G&B)
Santana Perazzo Raul Rekow Wyclef Jean Jerry “Wonder” Duplessis
Duplessis Wyclef Jean
4:21
8. “Migra”
Santana Rachid Taha Tony Lindsay[19]
Karl C Porter Santana
5:24
9. “Corazón Espinado” (featuring Maná) Fher Olvera
Olvera Porter *Alex González
4:32
10. “Wishing It Was” (featuring Eagle-Eye Cherry)
Eagle-Eye Cherry Michael Simpson John King Money Mark (Mark Ramos Nishita) Porter
The Dust Brothers *Charles Goodan *Art Hodge
4:59
11. “El Farol”
Santana Porter
Porter 4:49
12. “Primavera”
Porter J. B. Eckl Cheín García Alonso
Porter 5:17
13. “The Calling” (featuring Eric Clapton)
Santana Chester D. Thompson Freddie Stone Linda Graham
Santana 7:48.
Legacy Edition Disc 2
A “Legacy Edition” of Supernatural was released on February 16, 2010, with a new Santana-supervised remastering.
“Bacalao Con Pan”
“Angel Love (Come for Me)”
“Rain Down on Me”
Featuring Dave Matthews and Carter Beauford
“Corazon Espinado (Spanish Dance Remix)”
Featuring Maná
“One Fine Morning” (Lighthouse Cover)
“Exodus/Get Up Stand Up (Bob Marley cover)”
“Ya Yo Me Cure”
“Maria Maria (Pumpin’ Dolls Club Mix)”
Featuring The Product G&B
“Smooth (Instrumental)”
“The Calling Jam”
Featuring Eric Clapton
“Olympic Festival”
Lead vocal – Fher Olvera
Rhythm guitar – Sergio Vallín
Guitar – Carlos Santana
Personnel
“(Da Le) Yaleo”
Guitar – Carlos Santana
Keyboards – Chester D. Thompson
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Drums – Billy Johnson
Percussion – Karl Perazzo
Congas – Raul Rekow
Vocals – Tony Lindsay, Carlos Santana, Karl Perazzo
Trombone – Jose Abel Figueroa, Mic Gillette
Trumpet – Mic Gillette, Marvin McFadden
“Love of My Life”
This song’s main melody is very similar to Brahms’ symphony No. 3 in F Major Op 90 Movement #3
Lead vocal – Dave Matthews
Keyboards – George Whitty
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Drums – Carter Beauford
Congas and percussion – Karl Perazzo
“Put Your Lights On”
Lead guitar – Carlos Santana
Rhythm guitar and lead vocal – Everlast
Keyboards – Chester D. Thompson
Programming – Dante Ross, John Gamble
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Congas and percussion – Carlos Santana
“Africa Bamba”
Guitar – Carlos Santana
Keyboards – Chester D. Thompson
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Drums – Horacio Hernandez
Percussion – Karl Perazzo
Congas – Raul Rekow
Lead vocal – Carlos Santana
Vamp out vocal – Karl Perazzo
Background vocals – Karl Perazzo, Carlos Santana, Tony Lindsay
“Smooth”
Lead guitar – Carlos Santana
Lead vocal – Rob Thomas
Keyboards – Chester D. Thompson
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Drums – Rodney Holmes
Percussion – Karl Perazzo
Congas – Raul Rekow
Trombone – Jeff Cressman, Jose Abel Figueroa
Trumpet – Julius Melendez, William Ortiz
“Do You Like The Way”
Lead guitar – Carlos Santana
Lead vocals – Lauryn Hill, Cee-Lo Green
Rhythm guitar – Francis Dunnery, Al Anderson
Keyboards – Loris Holland
Programming – Kobie Brown, Che Pope
Bass – Tom Barney
Background vocals – Lenesha Randolph, Lauryn Hill
Saxophone and flute – Danny Wolinski
Trombone – Steve Touré
Trumpet and flugelhorn – Earl Gardner
Tuba – Joseph Daley
“Maria Maria”
Guitar – Carlos Santana
Lead vocal – The Product G&B
Additional vocal – Carlos Santana
Cello – Joseph Herbert
Viola – Daniel Seidenberg, Hari Balakrisnan
Violin – Jeremy Cohen
“Migra”
Guitar and sleigh bells – Carlos Santana
Keyboards – Chester D. Thompson
Programming and accordion – K. C. Porter
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Drums – Rodney Holmes
Percussion – Karl Perazzo
Congas – Raul Rekow
Vocals – Tony Lindsay, K. C. Porter, Karl Perazzo
Trombone – Ramon Flores, Mic Gillette
Trumpet – Jose Abel Figueroa, Marvin McFadden, Mic Gillette
“Corazón Espinado”
Lead guitar – Carlos Santana
Bass – Juan Calleros
Drums – Alex González
Timbales and percussion – Karl Perazzo
Congas – Raul Rekow
Background vocals – Gonzalo Chomat, Alex González
Vocal direction – Jose Quintana
“Wishing It Was”
Lead and rhythm guitar – Carlos Santana
Lead vocal – Eagle-Eye Cherry
Background vocals – Chad & Earl
Keyboards – Chester D. Thompson
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Drums – Rodney Holmes
Timbales and percussion – Karl Perazzo
Congas and percussion – Raul Rekow
Additional percussion – Humberto Hernandez
“El Farol”
Lead guitar – Carlos Santana
Rhythm guitar and percussion – Raul Pacheco
Keyboards and programming – K. C. Porter, Chester D. Thompson
Bass – Benny Rietveld
Drums – Gregg Bissonette
Timbales – Karl Perazzo
Congas – Raul Rekow
“Primavera”
Lead guitar – Carlos Santana
Rhythm guitar – J. B. Eckl
Keyboards – K.C. Porter, Chester D. Thompson
Programming – K. C. Porter
Bass – Mike Porcaro
Drums – Jimmy Keegan
Timbales and percussion – Karl Perazzo
Congas and percussion – Luis Conte
Lead vocal – K. C. Porter
Background vocals – Fher, Carlos Santana, Tony Lindsay, Karl Perazzo, K. C. Porter
Spanish translation – Chein Garcia Alonso
“The Calling”
Lead and rhythm guitar – Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana
Keyboards – Chester D. Thompson
Percussion – Carlos Santana
Programming – Mike Mani
Vocals – Tony Lindsay, Jeanie Tracy
Pro Tools editing – Andre for Screaming Lizard</ul>