Carlos Santana Stands on CEREMONY - REMIXES & RARITIES - Limited Edition CD Release; 100,000 Copies of 3rd Arista Album Set for Dec. 16th Pre-Christmas Release

Business Wire, Nov 24, 2003

Entertainment Editors/Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 24, 2003

"Collectors Item" Features Previously Unreleased Tracks Plus Newly

Recorded Versions and Remixes of Songs from Supernatural and Shaman

Arista recording artist Carlos Santana, whose first two landmark albums for the label, 1999's Supernatural and 2002's Shaman have collectively sold 30 million units worldwide and generated more than a dozen Grammy and Latin Grammy awards since their releases, has finalized his third album for the label, it was announced today by Antonio "L.A." Reid, president and CEO, Arista Records. Entitled CEREMONY - REMIXES & RARITIES, the new album is an extremely limited edition set to arrive in stores on December 16th.

CEREMONY is a collaborative project drawn from the recording sessions that yielded Supernatural and Shaman, with guest artists, composers and production teams on every track. The collectors item album, which will be limited to 100,000 copies, features five previously unreleased brand new songs, newly recorded versions or remixes of five songs that came from the first two albums, and one key album track.

"There was so much great material recorded at those sessions," Carlos said, "with so many great musicians, songwriters, producers and arrangers contributing their talents. I am honored that Arista has chosen to gather the unissued music together in this package, as a gift to our fans this holiday season."

The five new songs include "Curacion (Sunlight On Water)," co-written by Santana and its producer KC Porter, who contributed to both Supernatural ("Migra," "Primavera," and the Grammy and Latin Grammy-winning "El Farol") as well as Shaman ("One Of These Days" featuring Ozomatli). Another Shaman contributor, on "Adouma," was producer Kike Santander (with his four-man production team) who returns on CEREMONY with "Truth Don Die," written by the late Afro-beat legend Fela's son Femi Anikulapo Kuti.

New faces on CEREMONY include the Scandinavian songwriting and production team led by Anders "Bag" Bagge on "Let Me Love You Tonight"; the JIMMYRAY Productions crew on "Come To My World"; and the veteran song-writer, producer, arranger Salaam Remi (known for his work with the Fugees and Wyclef Jean, among many others) who introduces singer Keon Bryce on "Manana."

CEREMONY features newly recorded versions of two songs that first appeared on the previous albums. KC Porter's "Primavera" (from Supernatural) has been reworked by producer/arranger Kike Santander and now features a vocal by salsa superstar Jerry Rivera. Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger's "Why Don't You & I" (from Shaman) finds producer/arranger Lester Mendez reworking the track with a new vocal from Alex Band of The Calling.

Three remixes (of songs from the previous albums) have been included on CEREMONY: the Chris Staropoli Remix of the 1999 mega-hit "Smooth" featuring Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty; the Wyclef Remix of the 2000 follow-up mega-hit "Maria Maria" featuring the Product G&B (both from Supernatural); and the Sam "Sever" Citrin Remix of "Foo Foo." CEREMONY also includes "Victory Is Won," a track from Shaman.

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