Carlos Santana's Role as Pop Music's Pop Guru

Say what you will about Carlos Santana, but the man certainly has staying power. The son of a Mexican mariachi violinist, the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer has been churning out hits since 1966, when he formed the Santana Blues Band in San Francisco. Three years later, he performed at the original Woodstock, and it's been a steady ride since. Santana has sold more than 90 million records and garnered numerous awards, including 10 Grammys.

Now comes All That I Am, his 38th album and third to experiment with the vocal talents of currently hot artists (after 1999's Supernatural and 2002's Shaman). It features, among others, Michelle Branch, Mary J. Blige, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Joss Stone, rappers Sean Paul and Big Boi, American Idol star Bo Bice, and Los Lonely Boys. Using their energy and sound, Santana mostly sticks to the good stuff, celebrating love, commitment, forgiveness and self-worth. (One track, "My Man," misses the mark by offering up sexual suggestiveness.)

Vague Spirituality, Specific Values
While perfecting such positivity along with his signature blistering guitar licks, though, Santana has long brought a vague, New Agey spirituality to his music. All That I Am is no different. For example, on the opening number, "El Fuego" (The Fire), he expresses his thanks to a spiritual someone—it's never specified whom—for his life's passion and purpose. Translated from Spanish, the song reads, "Thank you for the fire/... I carry always inside/... You gave me freedom/To find my reality/... You are the divine root/I am the leaf/You are the light and the darkness."

On "Da Tu Amor" (Give Your Love) he calls his fans "soldiers of the light" and in the album's liner notes "blesses" them: "Each note we play is for your healing and wonderment. May the ineffable Spirit raise your minds and hearts to new heights. ... I pray our music continues to touch and inspire you and remind you of your own connection with the infinite Truth."

Credit the man with a forthright faith in his faith. In an interview with CNN, Santana, who calls himself a "multidimensional spirit," said he is not threatened by a potential backlash. In fact, he freely invites his fans to be "conscious participants" in his music and his spiritual beliefs. (Christian musicians tempted to jettison overt expressions of their faith for aspirations of mainstream success would do well to be so committed.)

Santana certainly lives out his ideals, too. He has given millions of dollars to impoverished children through his Milagro Foundation, and he donated all the proceeds of his 2003 North American tour to fighting AIDS in Africa. He is also unabashedly pro-family. He's been married to his wife, Deborah, for 32 years and has three children, for whom he says he's willing to commit "career suicide."

"They are first, middle and last," he told CNN. "Everything else will fit in between or it won't fit at all. My family doesn't have a price tag on it."

Anti-Authoritarian Religion
But while there's a lot for which to praise Santana, ultimately his do-it-yourself religion too often clutters his music and pronouncements. A bit of background: For 10 years he and Deborah had been devotees of the Indian guru Sri Chinmoy. In 1981 they broke all ties. "Ultimately," Deborah explained, "he wasn't who we thought he was. And we matured to a point where we realized turning your life over to anyone, spiritual or otherwise, was a negative rather than a positive."

So while Santana is open to just about any "religious" belief—the vaguer the better, it seems—anything based on a some sort of authority doesn't work for him. And as is often the case, such religious eclecticism eventually turns out to be ABC: anything but Christianity.

Speaking recently to USA Weekend magazine, he said, "Spirituality is saying, 'May the heavens open up and the angels bless everyone with a deep awareness of his own light.' Religion says, 'Only Jesus got the light, you're full of [expletive], and you are in the dark.' They are the only ones that got it, and you've gotta go through them to get it. Man, in this life the only thing that's holy is your relationship with your heart, your family and the air you breathe."

So much, then, for All That I Am's "connection with the infinite Truth."