BLUES FOR SALVADOR

After a very poor ''Havana Moon'', Carlos could only do better with this work. Unfortunately, there are these two vocalists (Alex Ligertwood and Greg Walker) I never could stand and who were also raging on lots of ''Santana'' album after the departure of Gregg Rolie.

This album holds some very good guitar work from the master (which was not the case on his prior solo album), and the beat goes from traditional Latin music (''Bailando'') to funk (''Deeper.''), from syrupy music (''I'm Gone'') to quite rocking mood during ''Trane''.

There is one long (live) track featured on this album (over ten minutes), which might well indicate that creativity was not at its peak but ''Now That You Know'' is a fine moment of Latin rock music which reminds me at times of the early days of the band.

All in all, the good moments are not too few on this album. One is not facing a masterpiece of course (those were released a long, long time before this record), but if soft jazz-Latin-rock is of your liking, why not listening to this ''Blues For Salvador''?

''Hannibal'' holds some fine percussion works and combines excellent guitar parts with poor vocal ones (as usual should I say); the closing and title track is all subtlety and harmony. A wonderful trip into Carlos emotional guitar phantasmagoria.

Three stars (but this is rated on the high end by a life time fan).