Cindy Blackman Santana's New Solo Album 'Give the Drummer Some,' Featuring Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin, Kirk Hammett and Vernon Reid, Out Sept. 18

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Sep 17, 2020, 07:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 18, renowned virtuoso drummer, songwriter and singer Cindy Blackman Santana will release her astonishing new solo album, Give the Drummer Some. Three years in the making, the record is a rapturous testament to Blackman Santana's unparalleled musicianship and compositional mastery, featuring 17 tracks (both instrumentals and vocal songs) that take listeners on an exuberant, compelling and beautifully sustained journey that will leave them breathless.

Working as her own producer as well as with multiple Grammy-winning hitmaker Narada Michael Walden, Blackman Santana welcomed a brilliant array of musicians to her sessions, including an eye-popping host of guitar titan guest stars, such as Mahavishnu Orchestra legend John McLaughlin, Living Colour's Vernon Reid and Metallica's Kirk Hammett. As one might expect, the drummer, who for the past decade has been a mainstay in the band Santana, features the unmistakable artistry of her guitar icon husband, Carlos Santana, on eight remarkable cuts.

Listen to "Everybody's Dancin,'" a hook-filled, deliciously vibey treasure that features a mega-searing guitar solo by Carlos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxOzLTDpXxc&t=1s

Heralded as one of the greatest drummers of her time, Blackman Santana turns in bravura playing throughout Give the Drummer Some. On the epic instrumental "We Came to Play," Blackman Santana creates a gargantuan groove while engaging in a riveting musical conversation with John McLaughlin. "This track kept building and building, and things got very fiery," says Blackman Santana. The title sums up the vibe: 'This is us, we're playing, and if you don't like it, go home!'" But this is also the album on which she distinguishes herself as a supreme vocalist, as evidenced on the record's first single, an extraordinary rock-funk re-imagining of John Lennon's classic "Imagine." Endorsed by Yoko Ono Lennon, the stomping track (which features a wicked guitar solo by Carlos), is already burning up radio and streaming playlists and is also the first track issued via SongAid, a new global initiative the Santanas have helped launch to benefit WhyHunger's Rapid Response Fund.

Watch "Imagine": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoRCgUJfUiw

Watch the epic instrumental "We Came to Play" featuring John McLaughlin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLlfNVvyHOU

"It was a lot of fun to do so many vocal songs on this album," says Blackman Santana. "I am, and always will be a drummer, but it's also exciting to showcase the singer side of me. I want people to have a great time listening to it. I set out to make a record that was fun and uplifting, but more than that I wanted the messages to matter. If people come away from it feeling all that I put into it, then I've done my job."

During her illustrious career, Blackman Santana has performed with a prestigious and diverse group of artists (Lenny Kravitz, Ron Carter, Bill Laswell, Joss Stone, Wallace Roney, Buckethead, Angela Bofill, Vernon Reid, Jack Bruce, Jackie McLean, Don Pullen, Buster Williams, just to name a few), and she has released a string of critically and commercially hailed solo albums. In many ways, Give the Drummer Some represents a grand summation of Blackman Santana's talents and history, but it's also the start of an exciting new chapter in her musical life.