 | Santana was still a respected rock veteran in 1999, but it had been years since he had a hit. Early in the '90s, he severed ties with his long-time label Columbia, moving to Polydor, which gave him a boutique label. The association didn't last too long -- only three albums, only one of which was a proper studio effort. It was enough to stall his recording momentum, even if he continued to fare well on the concert circuits. By 1999, it was time for him to relaunch his recording career and Clive Davis, the man who signed Santana to Columbia in 1968, offered him the opportunity to set up shop at his label, Arista. In the tradition of comeback and label debuts by veteran artists in the '90s, Supernatural, Santana's first effort for Arista, is designed as a star-studded event. At first listen, there doesn't seem to be a track that doesn't have a guest star, which brings up the primary problem with the album -- despite several interesting or excellent moments, it never develops a consistent voice that holds the album together. The fault doesn't lay with the guest stars or even with Carlos, who continues to turn in fine performances. There's just a general directionless feeling to the record, enhanced by several songs that seem like excuses for jams, which, truth be told, isn't all that foreign on latter-day Santana records. Then again, the grooves often play better than the ploys for radio play, but that's not always the case, since Lauryn Hill's "Do You Like the Way" (which also features Cee-Lo) and the Dust Brothers-produced, Eagle-Eye Cherry sung "Wishing It Was" are as captivating as the Eric Clapton duet, "The Calling." But that just confirms that Supernatural just doesn't have much of a direction, flipping between traditional Santana numbers and polished contemporary collaborations, which both extremes being equally likely to hit or miss. That doesn't quite constitute a triumph, but the peak moments of Supernatural are some of Santana's best music of the '90s, which does make it a successful comeback. |