Studio Album · No. 26
Santana IV
Produced by Carlos Santana · Engineered by Jim Reitzel
Santana wrote 16 of 16 documented tracks
Authorship Breakdown 16 / 16 documented
Scored across the 16 tracks with documented writers, by whether Santana carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 16 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Santana IV reunites the early-1970s lineup behind Santana III, with Carlos Santana, Gregg Rolie, Neal Schon, Michael Carabello and Michael Shrieve writing together again for the first time in more than four decades, joined by Benny Rietveld and Karl Perazzo. The songwriting is spread across the band rather than driven by one author, so Rolie carries organ-led tracks like "Anywhere You Want to Go" while the Santana, Schon and Carabello pieces lean on the percussion-heavy Latin rock jams that defined the original group. Ronald Isley guests on lead vocals for "Love Makes the World Go Round" and "Freedom in Your Mind," giving those two songs a soul edge against the album's instrumental workouts. The closer "Forgiveness" credits Schon, Santana, Rolie and Claus Zundel, one of several tracks where the reunited members traded ideas instead of working alone.
Santana IV is the twenty-fourth studio album by Santana, released in 2016 on Santana IV Records and the most celebrated reunion project in the band's history. The record brought together Carlos Santana, Gregg Rolie, Neal Schon, Michael Carabello, and Michael Shrieve, the core of the classic 1969–1972 lineup, for the first full album together since Santana III in 1971. Rather than attempting to recreate the original sound, the band pushed their shared chemistry into new territory, blending their classic Latin rock style with blues, funk, and modern production. "Shake It" and "Forgiveness" showed Gregg Rolie's voice and keyboard playing fully integrated with Santana's guitar in the way fans had waited decades to hear again. The album received outstanding reviews and confirmed that the original lineup's creative bond had survived fifty years intact.