Ultimate Santana

iTunes Review

Since his days as a Woodstock icon, Carlos Santana has applied his guitar signature to almost every genre of pop music, remaining both distinctive and adaptable. Ultimate Santana may not be the end-all survey of his work, but it does attest to how well his Latin-jazz-blues fusion approach has absorbed contemporary trends without losing its essence. Santana is the master of the stinging single note and the long caressing riff and through these tracks, you can hear him channel his talents into everything from steamy salsa-rock (1970’s classic “Oye Como Va”) to introspective jazz (1976’s “Europa (Earth’s Cry, Heaven’s Smile”) ) to honeyed R&B-pop (the previously-unreleased “Interplanetary Party”). “Smooth” (spiced up by Rob Thomas’ East L.A.-style vocals) and “Put Your Lights On” (an evocative semi-acoustic track featuring Everlast) attest to the guitarist’s enduring vitality. Of the newly-recorded cuts, the winners are “This Boy’s Fire” (a fusion of Latin hip-hop beats, dancing guitar lines and the enticing voice of Jennifer Lopez) and a torrid reworking of “The Game of Love” with Tina Turner singing lead. Even if this collection isn’t perfection, it makes the case for Santana’s continued resilience and relevance after nearly 40 years of album-making.