FESTIVAL

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After an incredible stretch of excellent-to-sublime albums (bar the weaker Welcome), starting with their debut, Festival was the first album that I would call less progressive than all of its predecessors, Carlos'solo albums included. But is Festival weaker? Well it certainly appears so, but there are still some marvelous moments on this slice of wax. Graced with a rather bland artwork (snake in a rose?), the album is rather aptly titled as it implies many festive moods and celebrates happiness.

After the opening trilogy of very happy tracks Carnival/Children Play/Jugando, well-known to fans as those were present in the first parts of their concerts and are therefore part of Lotus and Moonflower, the album seems to be gliding on rather bland sort of sung-funk- jazz, such as the brassy Give Me Love or Reach Up, Try A Little Harder Now etc... interupted by much more intersting tracks: the wondeful and cosmic Spanish-inflected Verhao Vermelho (with its Portugues/Brazilian name) or the early-group-feeling Let The Music Set You Free or the Miriachi-inflected Caracoles.

Overall, sonically speaking we are on the way towards the much more succesful 76's Amigos album, but this album is not essential in the group's discography. But after having discovered their early gems, should you wish to extend your discovery of the group, this album would be welcome in a second or third wave of acquisition. While not indispensible, still worth the occasional spin.

After two good jazzy studio albums, what would come next ? Back to the latin-rock of the debut or more into the jazz sphere ? Alas, Mike Shrieve has gone. He joined Santana in 1969, and was one one of the only (almost) original member of the band together with Chepito Areas and Dave Brown (but the latter left for a while namely for "Welcome" and its supporting tour).

The album opens with the suite "Carnaval-Let The Children Play-Jugando" which is a great piece of latin rock like the band produced in its early days : full of passionate rythm with great congas and timbales. Vocals (some in Spanish with an awful accent) are just average. Very good song though.

"Give Me Love" is a mellow bossa nova / soul tune with poor vocals. This is typically a hotel lobby song. Quite weak.

"Verao Vermelho" has flamenco flavour and great rythm again : very inspired idea to combine spanish classics with Latin-American rythms. This is one of the best songs of the album.

"Let The Music Set You Free" has a wild ryhtm, although the funky orientation is not really my cup of tea. Not too bad after all.

"Revelations" is another attempt to reproduce "Samba Pa'Ti" (it's the fourth of this genre so far).It's a good song, full of emotion with the same tempo than its predecessors. Carlos stroke hard again with this great and very inspired number. It is one of my favorite song of the album. I have to admit that anything that has to do with Samba Pa'Ti brings me almost to heaven. I can't help ! Sorry.

"Reach Up" is an uninspired funky track. Press next. The following track is unfortunately very weak again : "The River" is a kind of mellow soul tune with poor lead as well as backing vocals (the type of song one would have hoped that Santana would never have released). I really can't stand this stuff.

Back to the Latin ambience again with "Try A Little Harder" : the music is quite nice, but hell ! What are these vocals ? Gospel oriented choirs and very weak work from Walker - which is not a surprise any longer).

"Maria Caracoles" is a salsa tune : great rhytm but very weak melody and stupid vocals. Those trumpets in the background are also not very adequate, although I reckon that it is an integral part of the genre but I wouldn't expect this in a Santana song (although we got already some in the genre with "Everybody's Everything" on Santana III). This album is the weakest Santana album so far. Two Stars.

Yes, all good things have their end! After great collection of excellend and good latin-rock and latin-fusion albums, Santana released first belove average level album.

The band returned back to latin-rock elements ( from latin-fusion of last works), but main album sound is pop-rock and pop with world elements. There are few great songs ( at the very beginning), but all other aren't even average. Samba dance rhythms, some sweet pop down tempo pieces, very amorphous material scented with latin folk. Unfocused mix of very different songs. But (after opening songs) you can feel, that disco era is coming!

In fact , only few songs are great, all others are fillers. First disaapering from Santana ( and far away not last!)