SANTANA IV

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.