Santana/Isley Brothers Album Due Out August 4
After Ronald Isley sang two songs on last year’s Santana IV album, Carlos Santana has teamed with the singer and his brother, Ernie Isley, as well as Santana’s wife Cindy Blackman Santana, for a full-scale collaboration album Power Of Peace, which is due out August 4.
The 13-song set features just one new song — “I Remember,” written and sung by Blackman Santana — along with covers of songs by Stevie Wonder (“Higher Ground”), Billie Holiday (“God Bless The Child”), Curtis Mayfield (“Gypsy Woman”), the Champers Brothers (“Are You Ready,” “Love, Peace, Happiness”), Marvin Gaye (Mercy Mercy Me — The Ecology”) and more.
Carlos Santana tells us the connection to the Isleys, and Ronald in particular, is deeply personal:
“When Cindy and I got married in Maui that was the first song that we played, it was called ‘The Look Of Love,’ Ronald Isley plays the whole phonebook of Burt Bacharach, and so it stayed with me…I told him after we did this Vegas show (with Santana IV), I said, ‘I can’t tell you what an honor it is to be on the same CD with you.’ He goes, ‘Oh, really?’ I said, ‘Come on, man…’ I grew up on him. It was a total honor. It’s cool. The guys’ voice is still stunning. It was great. It IS great.”
The Isleys recently joined Santana on stage during the group’s latest residency in Las Vegas. The full track list for Power Of Peace includes:
- Are You Ready
- Total Destruction To Your Mind
- Higher Ground
- God Bless The Child
- I Remember
- Body Talk
- Gypsy Woman
- I Just Want To Make Love To You
- Love, Peace, Happiness
- What The World Needs Now is Love Sweet love
- Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
- Let The Rain Fall On Me
- Let There Be Peace On Earth
Gary Graff is an award-winning music journalist who not only covers music but has written books on Bob Seger, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.
