doglooseCarlos Santana and the Isley Brothers…come again? Both are musical legends with long careers marked by relentless innovation. And neither act is exactly a stranger to the power...

Carlos Santana and the Isley Brothers…come again? Both are musical legends with long careers marked by relentless innovation. And neither act is exactly a stranger to the power of the almighty groove.

They’ve just released an album together, Power of Peace. But at first blush, the pairing might seem a little strange. Is there really a common ground there?

Those in attendance at the Las Vegas House of Blues on a recent summer evening were left in no doubt that the combination is indeed an inspired one. Nestled inside of the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino, the Vegas House of Blues has practically become Carlos Santana’s living room. Over the course of many long residencies there, he and his ace band have dialed themselves into the intimate venue’s acoustics as if the place was built just for them.

“Carlos has that rare ability to play a melody for the last guy in the last seat in the corner,” says Paul Reed Smith, who has been building guitars for Santana for several decades. “It’s that kind of guitar playing where it’s like somebody singing. And it grabs every last person in the room, even if they’re out back buying beers. He’s really good at that. When he plays, people dance, people sing and people do what music is meant to do.”

Santana himself puts it more philosophically. “The great guitarists, they don’t sound like a guitar,” he says. “They sound like life. They don’t sound like strings, chords and melodies. They’re like a big slice of life.” But the energy in the room reached a whole new level when Carlos brought singer Ronald Isley, guitarist Ernie Isley and backing vocalist Kandy Isley (Ron’s wife) onto the stage. Now in his 77th year, Ron Isley’s voice still packs a plentitude

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