Every week I listen to a number of podcasts on my way to and from work or during lunch when I have a moment to myself, and one of my favorite podcasts is called More Mayo. It is a BBC Radio 2 podcast, and the host, Simon Mayo has various guests on each week to talk about new books they have written or new albums they are putting out and the like. Being that the podcast is British, I often hear about stuff that I wouldn't otherwise be exposed to. For example, over a year ago I was listening to an episode where a musician, Rick Wakeman, was on the podcast. Rick Wakeman was the keyboardist for the 1970s prog rock band Yes. He was on the program to talk about a concert he was putting on to play his 1973 EP titled The Six Wives of Henry VIII to celebrate King Henry VIII's 500 year anniversary at Hampton Palace in England. It all sounded very intriguing to me, and when I listened to the album I wondered how, growing up loving classic rock music, I had never heard any of this. Occasionally, I will discover little gems like Rick Wakeman, or another was a song called Streets of London by Ralph McTell, and I am always happy to broaden my musical horizons or find things that fit right in with my already established preferences.
A couple weeks ago I made another such discovery. I have always known who Santana was. I have liked him and appreciated what a talented musician he is, but by no means would I place him as one of my favorite artists. I don't even own one of his albums. Simon had Carlos Santana on his show this particular episode to talk about his newest album, Guitar Heaven. I wasn't sure what the album really was until nearly the end of interview, but what I heard sounded like it must be an incredible album. Basically, it is a collection of 14 of some of the best known rock songs out there spanning from While My Guitar Gently Weeps, one my favorite songs by The Beatles and of course written by George Harrison to Under the Bridge by The Red Hot Chili Peppers. All of them had a Santana styled arrangement and featured vocals by famous singers other than the original. While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which is one of my favorites on the album, features cellist Yo Yo Ma and vocals by soul singer India Arie. Santana's musical abilities astounded me how he could take very well-known songs and infuse his auteur-ship into them to make each song his very own. Every song is very well done, and I would love to hear Santana do a hundred more songs like the ones on this album.
No comments:
Post a Comment