SANTANA

The first two legendary albums by Santana showcase the most genuine Santana prototype sound - Latin influenced hard-rock/rock with tight playing from all players. Very original sound, great and accessible interplay, feelings all over the place, strong jamming skills and positive vibes. Guitar playing is already mature but will become more prominent and complex in the future releases. With Santana on par is the keyboard player with great Hammond and piano playing abilities. Thankfully, most of music is without vocals to give way to the original sound mix.

"Waiting" is a warm-up introducing all instruments and tasty guitar licks by the Mexican master. "Evil ways" is a catchy Latin organ grooving song and typical Santana soloing. The sound clarity and taste are remarkable. "Shades of time" shows some harmony vocals and leaks British 60's influence with the style of singing and melody. "Savor" is one of the most intensive tour-de-fource tracks, the percussionist drumming his way from hell. "Persuasion" has a slight blues-rock shade and provide a nice breakaway from Latin music. The same goes for "You just don't care" which has pretty soulful vocals and laid back energy. The Hammond player and Santana prove that they can adjust soloing to just any music style. A masterpiece for any fan of late 60's hard-rock and good sound.