I am a decent guitar player and I pefrorm also for $$$$$. The kid is good, but the tricks are standard. He is not really original, but has learned from other artists, and learned well. And yes, I agree with you on Santana, when I was listening that was my exact thought.
I am not a decent guitar player....I am an OK guitar player. l It seemed he was mostly stringing together several short rifts, arpeggiating a few chords, and staying in key. He is young to develope the interest in this style, and one day, if he keeps it up he will be a good/great player. I am an OK songwriter and his lyric structure needs some fine tuning, although he does have some alliterative quality that works. I wish him well, and hope he guards himself from the indulgences that Stevie Ray could not stay away from.