Carlos Santana has a strong affinity for spiritualism, culture, and (of course) music. Santana's new album, Shape Shifter represents a convergence of the three.

Santana has been writing songs for this album for years, waiting for the right place and the right time to use them. For him, the time is now, and it's the right place "to acknowledge the first people" of the land, in this case, Native American Indians.

The 36th album in the catalog of Santana, the band, is a very personal one for Santana, the man. And that's what makes it so good.

• Read my review of Santana's Shape Shifter

If it sometimes seems that Carlos Santana has been around since the beginning of the classic rock era, it's because, well ... he has! To be precise, the Santana Blues Band first started playing the San Francisco club circuit in 1966. The band, re-christened Santana, signed their first record deal shortly after their breakthrough performance at Woodstock in 1969.

With the release of Shape Shifter next week (5/15) Santana adds one more release to a catalog that already contains 38 studio and live albums (not to mention scores more compilations, videos and appearances on other artists' albums.) And all of that in the space of only 43 years!

• Read the Carlos Santana story

Good news from Gregg Allman's doctors this week. He has their blessing to begin the book tour for his new autobiography, My Cross To Bear. He was tested after experiencing an irregular heartbeat, and proclaimed fit to resume normal duties.

That news means Allman will also be able to go on the road with his Allman Brothers Band, who will be co-headlining a half dozen shows with Santana in July. "This is something," Carlos Santana said in the announcement, "that we've hoped to make happen for many years."

Olivia Harrison has some significant additions to the recent documentary about her late husband, George Harrison: Living in the Material World. Her new book of the same name contains personal photos, letters and other previously unpublished material. A digital version will be released on Tuesday (5/8,) the same day the DVD version of the documentary is released.

A previously unreleased song by Levon Helm, "Toast To Freedom" was released this week, with the proceeds to benefit Amnesty International. In an interview with Associated Press, Helm's longtime friend and producer, Larry Campbell said the song, recorded last summer, was close to the artist's heart. "One of the great things about working with Levon was he always made playing music a joyful event. And I know he wanted to see this thing through as far as he could."

During the time that Donovan was making a name for himself musically, he got tagged with various labels: folk, psychedelic, progressive. Probably the reason for that is that his catalog doesn't fit neatly into any single genre, or into a genre at all.

A few days after his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month, Epic / Legacy released a two-CD retrospective pulled from 15 of Donovan's albums released from the mid '60s to mid '70s.

Listening to The Essential Donovan got me thinking about why he was inducted into the Rock Hall, and why he's being reviewed on a classic rock website.

• Review: The Essential Donovan
• Donovan bio
• Donovan interview - Sunshine Superman 40th anniversary
• Donovan and The Beatles
• Donovan photo gallery