Through the decades the great guitarist Carlos Santana has usually left the pop songwriting to others Fleetwood Mac in “Black Magic Woman,” Rob Thomas and Itaal Shur in “Smooth” and then led his band to discover (or fabricate) an Afro-Cuban sizzle for the song. The new “Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time” tries for surefire material. It unleashes Santana guitarist and band, with guest lead singers on familiar songs from the 1960s into the 1990s.
Despite the bloated title and stale concept, it’s easy to imagine Santana completely revamping some guitar-centered hits. But for most of the album, that was apparently too daring for Mr. Santana and his pop mentor and co-producer, Clive Davis.
These oldies tend to stay close to the original arrangements and vocal phrasing, perhaps hoping that familiarity can sneak them onto the radio. The voices largely from alternative-rock bands are chosen shrewdly. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, a band steeped in Led Zeppelin, sings “Whole Lotta Love”; Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach delivers the growl in Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water.” While “Little Wing” doesn’t outdo the Jimi Hendrix original or the Derek and the Dominos version, it works up a bluesy dialogue between Mr. Santana and a 1960s contemporary, Joe Cocker.
Rock beats characteristic of the old Santana has not changed get timbales as a sign of Latin; more cowbell at least there.And of course there is Mr. Santana's lead guitar: wailing, wah-wahing and cut up lit all the time instrumental. He's more vocal pale aside from Linkin Park's Chester Bennington in the Doors '"Riders on the Storm"; electric blues guitar screams in Willie Dixon's "I'm not superstitious," from the Howlin' Wolf with the way Jeff Beck.
But too often Mr. Santana's guitar just paraphrasing oldies' section, barely enough to personalize them. In "Nothing Can You Hear Me Knocking," Santana dutifully echo the Rolling Stones, in 1971, has paid tribute to Santana.
Some songs get more additional types of music. George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently weeping" into a ballad sung by India.Arie sighed, with obbligatos cello of Yo-Yo Ma overqualified. Stop-start riffs AC / DC 's "Back in Black" to mobilize a windy rap by Nas and some wah-wah frenzy of Mr. Santana. The second remake of a little contrived, but they tried.
And one of the two additional songs on the album deluxe manual version of what might have been.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under the Bridge," surrounds the singer himself Santana, Andy Vargas, with Latin percussion and snaky Mr. Santana, stabbing lead, then break into mambo rock bilingual. Sounds, wrong again, like Santana.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under the Bridge," surrounds the singer himself Santana, Andy Vargas, with Latin percussion and snaky Mr. Santana, stabbing lead, then break into mambo rock bilingual. Sounds, wrong again, like Santana.