SANTANA IV

I have not bothered with any recent Santana releases, in fact the most recent Santana album I own is Moonflower. So I was surprised to see much of the original Woodstock band is back for this, Santana IV. All except David Brown, who unfortunately passed away in 2000, and Jose Chepito Areas, for some reason or another couldn't be present. Neil Schon, though not an original member of the original band, makes a reappearance (it seems that Schon's guitar playing has a more distorted feel, and Santana's has a more clean tone, which applies for Santana III way back in 1971 as well). For the most part I found it surprisingly enjoyable. I love the album cover, it's very reminiscent of their 1969 debut, except now it's a tiger, rather than a lion. The LP version is embossed, with the Santana logo and the sharp fangs and eyes being embossed. To me it sounds like, well, more or less, an updated version of the original Santana band, basically with modern production values. "Yambu" has a rather distinctly African feel to it, while the next two songs "Shake It" and "Anywhere You Want to Go" is just plain great songs, even Gregg Rolie still delivering that trademark organ (although I'm sure he's using a more modern organ these days). Big surprise: "Fillmore East", obviously in honor of the venue in New York (I'm surprised it wasn't called "Fillmore West" given Santana's San Francisco origins). Santana goes a completely unexpected direction in the the world of Krautrock-influenced space rock. It's as if Carlos Santana (and perhaps Neal Schon) was channeling Manuel Gottsching. Listening to this, you'd wonder if you were listening to Ash Ra Tempel, Agitation Free or Amon Duul II. It's completely not what I expect out of Santana, but I love it. I have no idea how aware Carlos Santana is of the German scene, so for all I know, it's pure coincidence. Lovers of space rock need to hear this! Minor chords seem a bit rare in Santana, given its frequent upbeat manner, but here minor chords dominate, and it gives that spacy, eerie, ominous feel I don't usually associate with Santana. The next two songs, "Love Makes the World Go Round" and "Freedom Around the World" feature Ronald Isley (Isley Brothers, naturally), and while soul music isn't my music of choice, these two songs are surprisingly good, especially because it still has that wonderful Latin rock energy you expect out of Santana. "Caminando" is generally a great song, but I could do without those digitally replicated horn (sounds like it was from a workstation synth) which seems a bit tacky. "Blues Magic", is unsurprisingly a bluesy song, and a rather good one. I really felt the album runs out of steam towards the end though, and the last four songs are nothing to write home about. "Come As You Are" has a bit of a Calypso feel going on, and to be honest it's not to my liking. "Forgiveness" just seems like a rather self-indulgent number, although when the vocals kick in, it reminds me of Peter Gabriel. It's like the band sorta ran out of inspiration towards the end, but that's a common problem with double album sets. I have to say, when this album is great, it's wonderful. It might not reach the highs of the first three albums, but it's certainly a hellova lot better than having to put up with "Smooth" being overplayed to death on the radio (the big reason I never bought Supernatural, that, and the over-reliance on alternative rock and contemporary R&B musicians). So I'm glad it's not some star-studded cast found here like on Supernatural (only Ronald Isley was the major guest on Santana IV). A rather good album and worth having, even with a couple of weak numbers. Plus it has "Fillmore East" for all you space rock junkies.

After years of collaborations - some of which were fantastic , others being duds - Carlos Santana finally got the band back together - the original band, that is! Welcome back Gregg Rolie, Michael Shrieve, Mike Carabello and Neal Schon. Santana IV marks the first album from this legendary lineup since 1971, so you can say that this album was 45 years in the making, thus the title, Santana IV, an obvious nod to the band's origins and a return to their original sound - and boy, does this album deliver!

My expectations for this album were rather high; in fact, I preordered it, something I rarely do. I must admit, on first listen, I was mildly disappointed. The band sounded uninspired at times, Gregg Rolie sounded a bit rusty, and the album seemed to drag on and on. But I would not give up on this album; I listened to it again, and again, and again and again. What are my conclusions after a half a dozen plus listens? Boy, was I ever wrong with my first impression! This album is gold, maybe not as great as the first three albums that the group used as an inspiration, but very strong. In fact, the only album I've bought/heard this year that's better is David Bowie's Blackstar. Santana IV has everything you'd expect from a vintage Santana album - Latin rhythm and grooves, hot guitar licks from Carlos - the Guitar Master - and excellent, fat-sounding organ playing - oh, man I missed that organ - from the one-and-only Gregg Rolie. Actually, his voice is still in pretty good form on this one, although the lyrics are rather creepy at times. Schon's rather distorted guitar playing complements Santana's smooth and clean sound very well, just as it does on Santana III, but I think the interplay is used to a fuller extent on this album. The percussion is AMAZING - but what else do you expect from a Santana album? Also, the two tracks ("Love Makes the World Go Round" and "Freedom in Your Mind") featuring Ronald Isley are very good, very soulful, but with lots of the typical Santana flash. This is just a mind-blowingly fantastic album.

Santana IV starts off with "Yambu", a very lively track which continues Santana's long line of "chant" songs, with crunchy guitar interplay between Santana and Schon, followed by "Shake It" and "Anywhere You Want to Go", two very good songs which are very reminiscent of Woodstock-era Santana. "Anywhere" features some excellent organ from Rolie, which sounds fantastic to anyone who has been jaded by the over-synthification of music these days. To hear a real, organic, down-to-earth organ solo is just good for the soul. "Fillmore East" an amazingly spacy and ambient track which recalls the jazzier part of Santana's sound, is next, a true highlight of the album, although it may take 3 or 4 listens - at least - to truly appreciate its greatness, as it did for me. Next are the two Ronald Isley tracks. Ron has lost a step or two on his vocals - give the guy a break, he's in his seventies - but he is picked up amply by the ferocious energy of Santana and the boys playing behind him. "Choo Choo" is a rather creepy song that sounds a tad bit pervy, but segues into the instrumental "All Aboard", which has quite an aggressive climax. Sueños is another in the long line of Santana's classic instrumental pieces, while "Caminando" is a brisk piece which adds some horns, another old Santana trademark. "Blues Magic" is a FANTASTIC blues song, while the excellent "Leave Me Alone" is bookended by two more fabulous instrumentals, "Echizo" and "You and I". "Come as You Are" is the weakest link of this album, as it has a forced calypso sound that just doesn't work very well. Just when you think the boys don't have anything else left in the tank, here comes "Forgiveness", a fantastically ambient song in the vein of "Fillmore East", with some vocals from Gregg Rolie which sound eerily like Peter Gabriel. The song gives you chills, in a good way.

Wrapping up here, Santana IV is an excellent album which instantly ranks among the group's best, a stellar reunion album that just continues to get better with each and every listen. I highly recommend purchasing this album for your collection; you won't regret it for a second.

There is little doubt that when Carlos Santana first appeared on the world stage in the late 60s, the musical universe was not quite ready to begin to understand how he would change the nature of modern music, and hence, add his 'progressive' twist to the wonderful yet still puerile world of rock 'n roll. That first solo album was also one of my first purchases back in the day and it caused quite a commotion, especially the sensational epic instrumental "Soul Sacrifice". Then the legendary Woodstock festival altered everything, a society taking a virtual leap forward in terms of adventure (the space race culminated in the moon landings), discovery (sex, drugs and Rock 'n Roll) and illumination (the counter culture). A million people attended, one died and one was born, go figure! When the movie came out, there was little dissent when fans claimed that Santana's presentation of "Soul Sacrifice" blew everyone away. Yes, they looked awfully stoned but those were the days, babe! Carlos was torturing his Gibson SG with eyes closed in unabashed fury, curly haired Michael Shrieve thrashing his drum kit in one of the greatest drum solos ever, the propelling organ of Gregg Rollie and of course, a cavalcade of bongos, congas, timbales that stamped the Latino sound. Fame and fortune followed, lots of hits, albums "Abraxas" and "III", continued the blues/fusion style until Carlos met Sri Chinmoy and went down an incredible path of spiritual exploration that culminated in his most progressive effort yet , the spectacular "Caravanserai", which also had Neil Schon as an axe partner. The follow-up "Borboletta" was also deliciously experimental and remains on par with the previous masterpiece. I had the privilege of attending both tours and the music was volcanic, to say the very least. Then began a long, very long slide into commercialism that continued unabated from 1976 until 2016 with the unexpected release of "IV", a direct return to those heady pre-"Caravanserai" days. Retro? Ya think? Well, original debut album alumni Santana, Rollie, Shrieve and Mike Carabello, with latter members Schon, bassist Benny Rietveld and Karl Perraza on percussion, all agreeing to revisit the past and offer up some cool Latino-fused rock. This is certain much more palatable than the recent 'supernatural' pop that padded the career but not necessarily long- time fans.

75 minutes of thrilling music played out over 16 tracks, so this is a biggie, as the band must have been quite inspired. For those of you who continue (and rightly so) to adulate the churning, roiling and burning sound of the Hammond B3, then you will undoubtedly be satiated, as Greg Rollie really pulls out all the stops on every single track. In fact, I cannot remember an album so front-loaded with organ, perhaps Niacin (Novello, Sheehan & Chambers). Within seconds of opener "Yambu", the terrific organ display kicks you in the gut, spiced up tropical chants, rampaging bass, jungle percussion, slick and thick guitars and lots of Latino drive. Then follows a cavalcade of different styles, showing the wide musical panorama within this relatively tight genre. There are some classic Afro-Latino canons , bluesy pieces , heavier rock material, smooth bliss out jams and the odd ballad , all garnished with a myriad of Carlos Santana solos , ably assisted by Neal Schon's gravellier approach.

Highlight tracks are the feverish and very sensual "Fillmore East" and its 1970-ish feel, a 7 minute+ excursion into lush sonic horizons that may recall the sweeping levels attained with "Caravanserai", a densely progressive score that showcases the dual guitars that made Santana such a powerful force back in the day. Slowly blooming arrangement and utterly sunny in disposition, this is dreamland space rock music of the highest order, with a nearly "Maggot Brain"-like feel at times. Splendid track indeed!

The delicious "Suenos " has an almost Bond-like intro followed quickly by that classic slow Latino lullaby a la "Samba Pa Ti", "Europa" and such.., an instrumental voyage into simple beauty and melodic apotheosis, elevating the urgency to blistering heights, as the sweeping organ lays down a sonic carpet of roses for Carlos to dance on, cradling and caressing his beloved guitar like only he can. Que savor!

Another matador track is the luxuriant "Blues Magic", the title spilling the beans on the reality that Carlos' musical soul is really governed by a blues guitar sensibility. He just also knows how to rock, dance, explode and rage as well. The slow burning solo here is thoroughly lethal, almost BB King-like , which frankly is the highest praise possible. Greg Rollie has this masculine bluster that suits the blues just perfectly. "Everything is alright, yeah". "Leave Me Alone" possesses that never boring bluesy trait, loaded with tchaka-tchaka percussives and a chanting "Oh oh oh" that cries out ,"baby don't go", a completely addictive sing-along masterpiece that one can never tire of, Rollie flirting with organ indecency as his fingers do the talking. The emerging guitar solo is all trouble, rage, anger and pain rolled into one.

Couple of electrifying instrumentals in "Echizo", an extremely guitar-centric piece from Neil Schon , featuring those upward spiraling vortex solos that defy gravity let alone technique. The flamenco-like "You and I" is gentle panacea, an island of shimmering gorgeousness, the ornate piano now playing its romantic role perfectly, a fabulous Rollie composition.

For diversity's sake, there are a couple of soul-tinged and energetic vocal pieces featuring insistent singer Ronald Isley , rekindling classic Santana pieces such as "Mirage", "When I Look Into Your Eyes" and "Transcendence", heavily dependent on smoking Rollie organ runs and the classic screeching Santana guitar wail. Both "Love Makes the World Go Round" and "Freedom In Your Mind" are rabble-rousing and spirited pieces, full of energy and spice, enthralling and intoxicating.

Some obvious winks at the past as "Choo Choo" has a little of the classic "Jingo", the lyrics a bit corny but the Rollie vocal is quite a treat. What he does to his organ is flat out perverse, shuffling over the ivories with raging gusto. The smooth percussive locomotive spews incredible steam, giving maestro Carlos another platform to shred hard, fast and loud on the connecting "All Aboard". Continuing the motion theme on the boisterous "Caminando", wah-wah guitar licks, rushing leads, smoky organ fills and the binary rhythm tandem punching away. Rollie's vocal is all rock 'n roll ("Let it Roll") and the Spanish chanting only adds more ethnic fusion to the mix.

The only weak piece, in my opinion, is the calypso-like "Come as You Are", with its overt tropical feel that is just a tad too commercial for my taste and also proves to be quite a different tangent than the rest of the material here. Still has some slippery axe leads that provide immense pleasure but it's not as tasty as one could hope for.

"Forgiveness" (for not having made an album like this for 40 years?) is the grand finale, as well as second longest track, arguably the most progressive thingy here (along with that "Fillmore East" jam). An exaltingly tranquil approach at first with both guitarist trading quavering notes, loads of effects and shivering percussion, this is masterful in both technique and spirit. Yes it's true the Gregg Rollie vocal is strangely like Peter Gabriel, while the instrumental display is out of worldly, at times closer to "Bridge of Sighs"-era Robin Trower. In fact, Rollie sounds a lot more like singer Jim Dewar (RIP). This is pure Santana gold, surely one of the group's finest compositions. Mucho gusto.

I never thought this retro album would ever surface as I gave up after the maudlin 1981 "Milagro" affair. Nice to have you back Carlos, Neil, Gregg and Michael. More, por favor!

4.5 petit fours

Recently I stumbled upon this 2-CD/1-DVD box, and got very exited when I read that the line-up on this 2016 'reunion concert' included not only master Carlos Santana but also 'teenage guitar prodigy' Neal Schon: once a Santana band member on the albums III and Caravanserai (shining on the track Every Step Of The Way) and later commercially very successful with 'Steve Perry Journey' (but I am delighted about his awesome and very disctintive guitar sound on Journey their eponymous album). The name Santana IV is based upon the fact that the Santana III line-up disbanded in 1971, and this 2016 Santana band features for the first time since 1971 five members from that era: Carlos Santana, Neal Schon, Gregg Rolie, Michael Shrieve and Mike Carabello, along Karl Perazzo (timbales in Santana since 1991), bass player Benny Rietveld (ex-Miles Davis), keyboardist David. Mathews (ex- Etta James Band) and guest singer Ronald Isley (from the Isley Brothers).

Listening to the two CD's I conclude that the 1967-1977 decade is unsurpassed: a lot of artistic freedom from the record companies, young full time musicians that were determined to make their own music, sharing fun and misery resulting in timeless compositions and becoming tight units due to the fact that they played so many gigs in those days. These two CD's contain top notch latin rock music featuring many of the Santana classics, performed very inspired and loaded with new ideas and extended soli. Just listen to Carlos Santana who let his guitar howl, scream, cry and thunder. To Gregg Rolie (one of the most underrated Hammond organ masters) with his omnipresent moaning and groaning B-3. And let's not forget the Santana trademark with Michael Carabello on congas and Karl Perazzo on timbales, what a thrill! This Santana IV line-up can compete with every current rock band in the world, what a skills, inspiration and ideas, they blow away the crowd, and the fans love it!

Guest singer Ronald Isley (Carlos Santana was determined to get him on stage) does a good job in the two tracks Love Makes The World Go Round and Freedom In Your Mind. And the new track Suenos (written by Carlos and Rietveld) is very pleasantly in the vein of Europe and Samba Pa Ti. The DVD includes the entire concert and contains a bonus interview with the band.

In the 20-page booklet also attention for The Milagro Foundation, founded by Carlos Santana and his family in 1998 to support vulnerable children around the world in several ways (like education, health and arts). Keep in mind that Carlos Santana was sexually abused by an American almost daily between his 10th and 12th (revealed in the Rolling Stone magazine in 2000, after getting in therapy in 1995, on recommendation by his wife).

Back to the music, for me this 2-CD/1-DVD box set is a very exciting musical experience, a masterpiece stage performance, loaded with unique and timeless compositions, you cannot beg for more so highly recommended!