Cindy Blackman Santana doesn’t exactly enter quietly. Decades of Lenny Kravitz arena shows, jazz stages, and Santana tours will do that to a person. But when she Zooms in to talk about Give the Drummer Some, her first album where she steps out front as vocalist as well as thunder-bringer, she’s disarmingly warm. Almost shy. Which, of course, is funny—because nothing on the record is shy.
“This is the first time I’ve been the featured vocalist,” she says. “I love singing, but behind the drums, I’m protected. Without them? You feel naked.”
That’s the tension powering the record: the cosmic confidence of one of the greatest drummers alive mixed with the vulnerability of someone learning to stand center stage. And naturally, because this is a Cindy Blackman Santana album, she didn’t tiptoe into it—she hired Narada Michael Walden, the guy who’s worked with Aretha, Whitney, and Mariah. Pure low-pressure environment.
“When he first said he wanted to produce me, I told him, ‘Dude, you can’t. I’m not a singer.’” She laughs at herself. “He didn’t back down. He heard something in me.”
With Walden pushing her on breath, tone, and pitch—and Berklee-trained vocal coach Kittison Kai drilling her through exercises—Blackman Santana built a voice that feels lived-in, soulful, and surprisingly effortless.
But make no mistake: this is still a drummer’s record. “Drums drive everything,” she says plainly. “So yes, they’re prominent in the mix. As they should be.”
The album ricochets between messages, moods, and full-throttle funk: social justice burners (“Imagine,” “Social Justice”), cosmic jazz meditations (“Miles Away”), party-starters (“Dance Party,” “She’s Got It Goin’ On”), and big, loud declarations of joy. “I wanted to share everything I love,” she says. “Fun, message, creativity, mood.”
And then there’s the guitar showdown. Pairing Vernon Reid and Kirk Hammett on the same song… that should be illegal. She cackles. “They both play with such musicality. It works because they’re fearless.”
Blackman Santana’s tribute to Miles Davis—“Miles Away”—came from hearing the master’s tone in her head as she layered percussion and chords. “I love the harmony mute,” she says, almost reverently. “His sound is my favorite tone in the world.” The track ripples with that influence, like a jazz memory bent through a psychedelic lens.
The album’s cover of “Imagine” ties into SongAid, the charity she and Carlos Santana partnered on with Yoko Ono. “A hundred percent of the proceeds go to help musicians and people in need,” she explains. “People are still struggling. We want to do our part.”
Fierce drummer, newly confident vocalist, philanthropist, bandleader—on Give the Drummer Some, Cindy Blackman Santana is all of it at once.
Listen to the interview above and then check out the videos below.
