Arista
2002
Shaman
About This Album
Nobody could have predicted the success of the star-studded Supernatural in 1999, but it revitalized the career of Santana, plus Clive Davis, who cooked up the whole idea of the comeback in the first place. Given its blockbuster status, a sequel that followed the same blueprint was inevitable, which is exactly what 2002's Shaman is. If anything, there's even less Carlos Santana here, proving that he and Davis are among those that believe that Supernatural was a success because of Rob Thomas and "Smooth," not the typically tasteful, excellent guitar playing. And, no surprise, Thomas has a strong presence here even if he doesn't sing. He writes two songs, flexing his muscles as a neo-soul songwriter (not badly, either, on cuts sung by Musiq and Seal), and providing the template for all the guests here: they want to launch a new stage of their career, finding a wider audience. Outside of Seal (who has a comeback of his own to launch) and Placido Domingo (who does these things because he can), everybody here has hearts to win and something to prove, and they do a mixed job of it. P.O.D. falls on its face with the embarrassing "America," but Chad Kroeger far outshines anything he's done with a surprisingly subtle and soulful "Why Don't You & I," easily better than anything by Nickelback.
Track List (try tracks 2,3,4,5,7,10,11,12 and 15)

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