'All' is nothing much

Turn on VH1, plug in the guitar and press record. This seems to be the formula for Santana albums these days. It comes as no surprise that All That I Am, Santana's second attempt at recreating the magic of 1999's Grammy classic Supernatural, is the guitar legend's most unimaginative work to date. The man who released masterpieces such as Abraxas and Caravanserai noodles and wanks his way through 13 tracks that seemingly feature whatever pop star walked into his studio that morning, stars such as "American Idol" reject Bo Bice. Carlos, please, do we have to endure yet another "collaborative" effort?\nA major problem with All is the sheer fact that Santana sounds like a guest artist on his own album. Santana is credited with having co-written only five of the album's 13 tracks, and it's rumored that producer Clive Davis had more than his say in which "guests" appeared on the album. \nAll hits the ground running with "Hermes," featuring inspirational solos, driving Latin percussion and a dynamic horn section that really gets the album off on the right foot. Unfortunately this momentum is lost thanks to the slouch of a third track "I'm Feeling You," featuring pop songstress Michelle Branch. The soaring, spiritual solos that have come to define Santana are few and far between on "I'm Feeling You" as the artist has assumed merely a complimentary role to the generic harmonies of Branch. Almost on cue, Rob Thomas makes his third appearance on a Santana album, this time lending his writing on "My Man." When Outkast's Big Boi declares during "My Man": "Santana's in the room," you can't help but wonder if the two were even in the studio the same day as this highly produced, ultra-clean hip-hop track features a very sparse Santana. Next is the forgettable, overly theatrical rock ballad "Just Feel Better" featuring Steven Tyler. "Just Feel Better" just drags, and Tyler speaks the truth when he belts: "It's really getting nowhere." \n"I Am Somebody" featuring Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas provides the album with a catchy radio-friendly hook, and the album begins to gain momentum with the Latin flavored "Con Santana." "Trinity" features the unlikely matching of slide-guitar maestro Robert Randolph with Metallica's Kirk Hammett, and its soulful solos help serve up the album's first true rocker. Bo Bice offers the album's saddest moment, lending his "Idol"-tested pipes on a piece of pop rubbish titled "Brown Skin Girl." \nCarlos, is this all that you've become?