Shape Shifter (album)

2012 studio album by Santana

Shape Shifter

Cover art by Rance Hood

Studio album by

Santana

Released

May 14, 2012

Genre

Latin rock

Length

57:22

Label

Starfaith, Sony^[1]

Producer

Carlos Santana, Eric Bazilian, Walter Afanasieff

Santana chronology

Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time
(2010)

Shape Shifter
(2012)

Corazón
(2014)

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	45/100^[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Classic Rock	^[3]
Rolling Stone Brasil	^[4]

Shape Shifter is the twenty-second studio album (thirty-sixth album overall) by Santana. It was released on May 14, 2012. This album is the first from his new record label Starfaith Records,^[5] which is distributed by Sony Music Entertainment, owners of all of Santana's albums (except those recorded for Polydor Records which are owned by Universal Music Group).^[6] It is also the first album since 1992's Milagro that does not feature guest singers in any of the songs, a style that characterized Santana's albums since Supernatural. The album contains only one song with vocals ("Eres La Luz").^[7] The track "Mr. Szabo" is a homage to the Hungarian guitarist Gábor Szabó, one of Carlos Santana's early idols, who released a series of 8 albums for Impulse Records between 1966 and 1967; the track features a similar rhythmical and harmonic structure to "Gypsy Queen", a Szabó recording from 1966 covered by Santana in 1970 as a medley with Fleetwood Mac's "Black Magic Woman".

Track listing

All tracks were written by Carlos Santana, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Shape Shifter"		6:16
2.	"Dom"	Hamidou Touré, Ousmane Touré, Ismaila Touré, Tidiane Sixu Touré	3:51
3.	"Nomad"		4:49
4.	"Metatron"		2:39
5.	"Angelica Faith"	C. Santana, Chester Thompson	5:03
6.	"Never the Same Again"	C. Santana, Eric Bazilian	5:01
7.	"In the Light of a New Day"	C. Santana, Narada Michael Walden	5:06
8.	"Spark of the Divine"		1:03
9.	"Macumba in Budapest"	C. Santana, Walter Afanasieff	4:01
10.	"Mr. Szabo"		6:20
11.	"Eres La Luz"	C. Santana, Afanasieff, Andy Vargas, Karl Perazzo	4:51
12.	"Canela"	C. Santana, Salvador Santana	5:22
13.	"Ah, Sweet Dancer"	Micheal O Suilleabhain	3:08
Total length:			57:22

Personnel

Andy Vargas and Tony Lindsay – vocals (track 11)
Carlos Santana – guitar
Chester Thompson – keyboards
Salvador Santana – keyboards
Benny Rietveld – bass
Dennis Chambers – drums
Karl Perazzo – timbales, percussion
Raul Rekow – congas, bongos, percussion
Carlos Hernandez & Jorge Santana - Additional Guitars on track 3 "Nomad"

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2012)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[8]	29
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[9]	82
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[10]	27
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[11]	63
French Albums (SNEP)^[12]	71
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[13]	19
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)^[14]	2
Italian Albums (FIMI)^[15]	19
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[16]	48
Scottish Albums (OCC)^[17]	49
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[18]	75
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[19]	8
UK Albums (OCC)^[20]	49
US Billboard 200^[21]	16
US Independent Albums (Billboard)^[22]	2
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)^[23]	6
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)^[24]	5

Year-end charts

Chart (2012)	Position
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)^[25]	69

References

^ ^a ^b Jurek, Thom. "Shape Shifter - Santana | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
^ "Reviews for Shape Shifter by Santana". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
^ Yates, Henry (July 2012). "Santana - Shape Shifter". Classic Rock. No. 172. p. 99.
^ Lima, Carlos Eduardo (6 July 2012). "36º disco marca o retorno de Santana ao formato que caracterizou sua carreira". Rolling Stone Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 July 2012.
^ "Santana's 36th Album, 'Shape Shifter,' Set For May 15 Release". GuitarPlayer. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
^ "Images for Santana - Shape Shifter". Discogs.
^ "Interview: Carlos Santana on his new album, Shape Shifter". MusicRadar.com. 2012-04-27. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
^ "Austriancharts.at – Santana – Shape Shifter" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Ultratop.be – Santana – Shape Shifter" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Ultratop.be – Santana – Shape Shifter" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Santana – Shape Shifter" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Lescharts.com – Santana – Shape Shifter". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Santana – Shape Shifter" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2012. 40. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Italiancharts.com – Santana – Shape Shifter". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "シェイプ・シフター". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Spanishcharts.com – Santana – Shape Shifter". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Santana – Shape Shifter". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Santana Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Santana Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Santana Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Santana Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Best selling albums of Hungary in 2012". Mahasz. Retrieved February 7, 2012.

All information from CD release booklet (Copyright © 2012 Starfaith Records, catalog #76692-99966-2).

External links

Shape Shifter at Discogs (list of releases)

Santana

Carlos Santana
Andy Vargas
Benny Rietveld
David K Mathews
Karl Perazzo
Paoli Mejías
Ray Greene
Tommy Anthony
Cindy Blackman Santana

Studio albums

Santana (1969)
Abraxas (1970)
Santana III (1971)
Caravanserai (1972)
Welcome (1973)
Borboletta (1974)
Amigos (1976)
Festival (1977)
Moonflower (1977)
Inner Secrets (1978)
Marathon (1979)
Zebop! (1981)
Shangó (1982)
Beyond Appearances (1985)
Freedom (1987)
Spirits Dancing in the Flesh (1990)
Milagro (1992)
Supernatural (1999)
Shaman (2002)
All That I Am (2005)
Guitar Heaven (2010)
Shape Shifter (2012)
Corazón (2014)
Santana IV (2016)
Power of Peace (2017)
Africa Speaks (2019)
Blessings and Miracles (2021)

Live albums

Lotus (1974)
Moonflower (1977)
Sacred Fire: Live in South America (1993)
Live at the Fillmore 1968 (1997)
The Very Best of Santana – Live in 1968 (2007)
The Woodstock Experience (2009)

Compilations

Santana's Greatest Hits (1974)
The Very Best of Santana (1981)
Viva Santana! (1988)
The Best of Santana (1991)
The Definitive Collection (1992)
Dance of the Rainbow Serpent (1995)
The Ultimate Collection (1997)
Best Instrumentals Vol. 2 (1999)
The Best of Santana Vol. 2 (2000)
The Essential Santana (2002)
Ceremony: Remixes & Rarities (2003)
Love Songs (2004)
Ultimate Santana (2007)
Multi-Dimensional Warrior (2008)

Extended plays

In Search of Mona Lisa (2019)

Singles

"Jin-go-lo-ba" (1969)
"Evil Ways" (1969)
"Black Magic Woman" (1970)
"Oye Como Va" (1971)
"No One to Depend On" (1972)
"Samba Pa Ti" (1973)
"Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)" (1976)
"She's Not There" (1977)
"You Know That I Love You" (1979)
"Winning" (1981)
"I Love You Much Too Much" (1981)
"Hold On" (1982)
"Gypsy Woman" (1990)
"Smooth" (1999)
"Put Your Lights On" (1999)
"Maria Maria" (1999)
"Corazón Espinado" (2000)
"The Game of Love" (2002)
"Nothing at All" (2003)
"Feels Like Fire" (2003)
"Sideways" (2003)
"Why Don't You & I" (2003)
"I'm Feeling You" (2005)
"Just Feel Better" (2005)
"Cry Baby Cry" (2005)
"No Llores"
"Into the Night" (2005)
"This Boy's Fire" (2008)
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (2010)
"Photograph" (2010)
"Fortunate Son" (2010)
"Under the Bridge" (2010)
"Dance the Night Away" (2010)
"Sunshine of Your Love" (2011)

Other songs

"Soul Sacrifice" (1969)

Live
performances

Carlos Santana
solo albums

Studio	Love Devotion Surrender Illuminations Oneness: Silver Dreams Golden Realities The Swing of Delight Havana Moon Blues for Salvador Santana Brothers
Live	Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles! Live! Carlos Santana Live Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1988