Concord RecordsWith Santana‘s latest studio album, Africa Speaks, due out on June 7, a new promo video has premiered on the band’s YouTube channel featuring guitarist Carlos Santana and Buika [BWEE-kah], an award-winning Spanish vocalist who lent her talents to the project, discussing the record.
Carlos explains that while making the album, he and his band “recorded 49 songs in 10 days.” He describes the material as “dynamic, vibrant [and] filled with exuberance,” noting that it was culled from African tunes that probably date from the past 25 years.
The guitar legend says he’s hoping the songs on Africa Speaks will have a positive impact on everyone who hears it.
“The songs that we create now, it’s about validating people’s existence,” Carlos maintains. “I’m utilizing this music, and with your help and everybody’s help, it’s a platform to bring a sense of self-worth to the individual.”
Also in the video, Santana talks about how the music on Africa Speaks affected and inspired Buika, who contributed lyrics to the tunes.
As Carlos points out, “She goes, ‘Maestro, I heard these songs and I wrote lyrics I’ve never written before. I sung melodies I’ve never sung before. I was crying and laughing until the music possessed me to create something outside of the realm of what I know.’ And I said, ‘Yeah! That’s what it’s supposed to do. If it does that to you, imagine what it’s going to do to the listener.'”
The video also features footage of Carlos, Buika, and the Santana band in the studio working with producer Rick Rubin on the album. Africa Speaks was recorded at Rubin’s Shangri La Studios in Malibu, California.
You can check out two songs from the album — “Los Invisibles” and “Breaking Down the Door” — on YouTube now.
Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.