When you strip away the psychedelic lights, the Latin percussion, and the swirling organ of Woodstock, Carlos Santana has always been, at his core, a blues guitarist. His sustain—that singing, crying, human tone—is directly descended from B.B. King's vibrato and T-Bone Walker's string-snapping single notes. Now, a new compilation, unofficially circulating among collectors and digital music platforms under the working title "Santana and A Few - Its a Blues Compilation 2024" (and potentially expanding into 2025 releases), is finally putting that truth front and center.
Essential for blues-rock collections. Seek out the 2024 master for the best audio quality. Keep an eye out for a potential physical release in late 2025.
Whether you are a lifelong Santana fan who wept at Supernatural , or a 22-year-old guitar student just discovering the magic of the Dorian mode, this compilation offers a masterclass in emotional phrasing. Put on headphones, turn up the volume, and listen to "A Few" of the best blues players alive trade fours with a living legend. Santana and A Few - Its a Blues Compilation 202...
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The "A Few" in the title refers to the rotating ensemble of session players and guest vocalists who bring the raw, unfiltered blues to Santana’s soaring lead work. Think of it as a jam session at the Fillmore West, where Santana is the anchor, but the spotlight shifts to a handful of blues disciples. While the exact tracklist varies depending on the digital distributor, most versions of the "Its a Blues Compilation 2024" share a core of stunning performances. Here are the tracks that make this compilation essential listening for any guitar aficionado. 1. “Soul Sacrifice (Blues in E Minor)” – A Reimagining The version of Santana’s Woodstock anthem appears here stripped of its Latin climax, replaced by a slow, burning 12-bar blues. At nearly nine minutes, this version showcases Santana holding a single note for four bars, letting the feedback shimmer into the red. It is a masterclass in less-is-more phrasing. 2. “The Thrill is Gone (ft. Carlos Santana)” – A Tribute to B.B. King Featuring a vocal take from a late-period B.B. King recording, Santana layers his guitar under King’s voice, acting as a shadow harmonic. When King sings, "The thrill is gone," Santana answers with a lick that sounds like a tear rolling off a fretboard. This track alone justifies the search for the compilation. 3. “Hoochie Coochie Man” – With A Few Greyhounds Here, the "A Few" are the Greyhounds, a Texas blues-soul band. Santana swaps his usual PRS for a ’59 Les Paul, conjuring a muddy, Delta growl. The result is less Woodstock, more juke joint on a Saturday night. 4. “Samba Pa Ti (Blues Version)” Originally an instrumental ballad, this reworking turns the melody into a minor-key blues lament. There are no Latin percussion breaks—just bass, drums, and Santana’s guitar carrying the weight of every heartbreak the blues has ever known. Why This Compilation Matters in 2024-2025 The blues is often perceived as a genre of the past, a museum piece. But compilations like Santana and A Few prove otherwise. By injecting his signature sustain into the blues framework, Santana bridges the gap between classic Chicago blues and the jam-band/rock audience of today. When you strip away the psychedelic lights, the
rips off that mask. It is not a greatest hits package. It is not a nostalgia trip. It is a statement: The blues is alive, and as long as Carlos Santana can bend a string, it will weep, wail, and sing.
Furthermore, this compilation arrives at a crucial time. In late 2024 and early 2025, blues guitar sales have seen a resurgence, with Fender and Gibson reporting a 15% increase in sales of hollow-body guitars—exactly the kind Santana uses for his blues work. Young guitarists discovering Santana through TikTok clips of "Europa" are now backtracking to find Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. This compilation serves as that map. Though it is a niche release, the blues press has taken notice. Guitar World magazine gave the digital compilation 4.5 out of 5 stars, writing: "Hearing Santana confined to the blues is like watching a Olympic sprinter run the 100m dash—you knew he was fast, but you never realized he was that fast. 'Its a Blues Compilation' is the most honest Santana has sounded in twenty years." Keep an eye out for a potential physical
For decades, fans have had to dig through Santana’s deep catalog to find his pure blues moments—tracks like "Jingo" (a blues trance), "Savor," or his haunting cover of "Black Magic Woman" (a Willie Dixon structure). But this new compilation gathers those gems and places them alongside a rotating cast of modern blues masters, creating a dialogue between Santana’s guitar and the past, present, and future of the genre. If you have been searching for the exact phrase "Santana and A Few - Its a Blues Compilation 202…" you have likely stumbled upon a curated playlist or a specialized digital album release that aggregates rare collaborations. While Santana has not released a solo album titled precisely that, the phrase refers to a wave of post-2020 compilations (specifically from 2022, 2023, and now 2024) where Santana appears as a featured guitarist alongside artists like John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Keb’ Mo’, and Christone "Kingfish" Ingram.