Carlos Santana..

Carlos Santana knows the power of a good guest vocalist: His 1999 album Supernatural, which paired the guitarist with a youthful cast of star singers, sold 28 million copies. His forthcomingGuitar Heaven (out September 21st) tweaks the formula, teaming Santana with singers to cover a healthily diverse mix of guitar-centric rock tracks. (See the song listing below.) Santana invited three of his new partners — Chris Daughtry, India.Arie and Gavin Rossdale — when he debuted the album last Wednesday, in a special edition of his residency at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel.


Before the show, Sony Music mogul Clive Davis (who signed Santana in 1969) played eight cuts from the disc for journalists and guests like NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton and Mary Wilson of the Supremes. Two big highlights: Surprisingly heavy renditions of AC/DC’s “Back in Black,” featuring Nas and Janelle Monáe, and Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” punctuated by Chris Cornell screaming his head off. When the band came onstage, they powered through “Black Magic Woman,” “Oye Como Va” and “Maria Maria” (staples of the Santana residency) before bringing out India.Arie, who put a feminine, earthy spin on George Harrison's “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” as Olivia Harrison, George's widow, watched. “When I think of that song," Arie told Rolling Stone, "I always had this vision of George Harrison being at home with his wife and his kids, and going in at five o’clock in the morning and playing his guitar to himself. I imagined that and put a sensual energy on it.”

  

Aug 30, 2010 11:30 AM EDT