Es Mágico
At the turn of the century (1999, to be specific), guitar legend Carlos Santana - with the help of a whole bunch of collaborator artists - released one of the biggest albums of his band’s career, Supernatural. The thing ended up snatching NINE Grammy awards in 2000.
No, I’m not 20+ years behind in my contemporary music knowledge! I just move on to newer stuff, and then from time to time, I rediscover some classics in my collection. Like Supernatural.
There is not a single cut on this album that I don’t like. The whole compilation sparkles like a tiara. But I do have a few faves: Migra, Primavera, and The Calling. Curiously, none of my favorite songs on Supernatural were released as singles! (OK, so I probably would not have fared well as a record company executive - fair enough).
Why I am blowing the dust off this (relatively) old album? Because I wanted to remind us all - yes, including myself - that the universe of music does not include songs whose lyrics are only in English. These Latin rock songs just happen to have lyrics in both English and Spanish. And even if neither of those are your primary language, it doesn’t take away from the emotional experiences of these songs.
Let’s start with Migra. That drum riff to kick off this piece really gets your toes tapping, doesn’t it? Sprinkle in a little bass and Mr. Santana’s amazing electric guitar track, and we’re off! I encourage you to translate the lyrics, if you can. But for those for whom English is a primary language, just know that the chorus is an uplifting encouragement for coming together with openness and love in our hearts.
Next up: Primavera. I like this title because the Spanish and Italian word for the season of “spring” is the same (parlo un po d’italiano). Again, the combination of the Latin drumbeats with the incredible lyricism of the guitar track is fab. Not surprisingly, this song is a beautiful ode to spring and to rebirth.
Finally, The Calling. This is a long song - almost 8 minutes! Is starts out with mystical, soulful guitars playing off one another (Eric Clapton is playing on this piece along with Mr. Santana). After about two-and-a-half minutes of this freeform guitar playing, we enter the insistent groove of the song with a lovely dance between guitars , vocals and a tantalizing drum track. Go ahead, try NOT to dance to this.
If you are not familiar with this epic album, Supernatural, please - I beg you - check it out! And if you do know it, but haven’t played it in a while, fire up the tracks and disfrútalo en todo su esplendor!