Santana's New Album Is A Surprise Hit On Charts Few Fans Would Expect

Forbes

12-04-2025

Santana's The Sentient debuts on Billboard's jazz charts, scoring the band new top 10 placements and ... More proving the group still knows how to surprise fans. KANSAS CITY, MO - AUGUST 14: Musician Carlos Santana performs at Sprint Center on August 14, 2014 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jason Squires/WireImage)
For decades now, Carlos Santana has helped shape the sound of rock and Latin music with an unceasing stream of innovative albums and truly unforgettable guitar riffs. The Grammy winner's namesake group, Santana, has appeared on countless Billboard charts over the years, with several of its most popular releases reaching impressive heights. Even with such an accomplished discography, the band is still finding new ways to surprise and succeed.
This week, Santana's latest release, Sentient, debuts on several of Billboard's rankings. The compilation, which features largely material already familiar to longtime listeners, is a minor hit with fans, and it even manages to bring the group back to a tally that few would expect the rockers to have reached at any point.
Part of what makes Sentient's quick success unique is how Billboard has chosen to classify it. Rather than slotting it into a rock, Latin, or even the world category — all of which would be appropriate given the band's long history — the chart company instead labeled it as a jazz release. That designation brings it to tallies that Santana isn't as familiar with.
On the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, Sentient starts at No. 2. The set almost gives Santana its first leader on that specific tally – almost. Over on the broader Jazz Albums list, which encompasses all kinds of jazz releases, the compilation opens at No. 6, giving the band another top 10 — and a brand new career high point.
Sentient earns Santana the band's second appearance and second top 10 on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. The only other time the band reached that list was more than a decade ago, with a live album recorded in 2011 at Montreux. That special release peaked at No. 4.
The newly-released Sentient also represents a milestone for the group on the Jazz Albums chart. While Santana has placed on the ranking a few times before, this is the collective's first appearance inside the top 10. The musicians hit a new peak as the band's total number of appearances on the all-encompassing jazz list advances to three.
While it's clearly a success in the jazz space, Sentient also performs well enough to reach a more competitive and wide-reaching Billboard ranking. This week, the new release lands at No. 31 on the Top Album Sales chart, which tracks the bestselling titles in the U.S. each frame based solely on purchases. The project opens with 3,000 copies purchased, according to Luminate.
The purchase-only list is familiar territory for Santana. With Sentient now included in the group's discography, 18 of the outfit's releases have found space on the Top Album Sales chart.