Corazón

The Latin-rock hybrid Carlos Santana created in the late 60s was world music 20 years before the term became common currency. Yet, oddly, he has waited more than 40 years to record his first all-Latin album. Corazón follows the template of 1999's chart-topping Supernatural, which won nine Grammies and teamed his trademark guitar playing with a high-profile cast of guest singers from Lauryn Hill to Eagle-Eye Cherry. Here their place is taken by some of the top names in contemporary Latin music, generously invited to share equal billing with his burnished guitar licks. There's straight-ahead salsa from Samuel Rosa on the opener ‘Saideirta’; global partying with Los Fabulosos Cadillacs on ‘Mal Bicho’; a terrific version of Bob Marley's ‘Iron Lion Zion’ featuring his son Ziggy and Afro-Colombian hip-hoppers ChocQuibTown; a touch of Cuban son on ‘Una Noche en Nápoles’ with a lovely vocal from Lila Downs; romantic Latin balladry from Gloria Estefan on ‘Besos De Lejos’ and cool Afro-Cuban jazz on ‘Yo Soy La Luz’, with Wayne Shorter on sax. Colombian superstar Juanes, Argentinian hit-makers Soledad and Diego Torres and the flamenco singer Niña Pastori also make potent contributions.

The only track that really doesn’t work is a retooled version of Tito Puente's ‘Oye Como Va’, which Santana exquisitely covered on 1970's classic Abraxas album, but is here stripped of its magic by the gratuitous embellishments of the American-Cuban rapper Pitbull.