Santana – Santana IV (2016)

From sputnikmusic.com

Review Summary: After 45 years, most of the original members reunited to create a proper follow-up to III…

Any true Santana fan must be aware of the fact that after Caravanserai was released all the way back in 1972, his career went downhill. Every decade or so, a better album would surface, however, nothing ever came close to the highly influential, career defining self-titled debut, Abraxas & III. Those had such an energy, combining blues guitar-enhanced Afro-Latin grooves, powerful percussion, along with all those trademark solos, you couldn’t possibly ask for more. Sadly, tension arose within the band and ultimately disbanded, leaving the frontman alone to constantly change contributors over the years. After a commercial and creative struggle in the ‘80s and early to mid ‘90s, Carlos made a spectacular return when Supernatural became his biggest mainstream success. Its Latin pop/R&B jukebox nature, featuring a revolving cast of then famous vocalists, put him back on the map. Even so, it offered few notable songs and paled in comparison to his initial work (not to mention most of those new fans were completely unaware of previous stuff). Unfortunately, it was milked for almost a decade through its weaker successors. Later, in 2012, Shape Shifter took a step in the right direction, delivering some cool instrumental jams, but was followed by what seemed to be the final nail in the coffin, Corazon. In essence it was a Spanish equivalent to Supernatural, though not only lacked substance, but also managed to horribly butcher one of the man’s finest tunes, ‘Oye Como Va’, by letting Pitbull rap on it.

Thankfully and miraculously, a few years ago Neal Schon approached Santana to record some music together again. The latter decided to reunite the original musicians for a proper follow-up to their last album in the trilogy, called IV. They tapped Gregg Rolie, Michael Carabello, Michael Shrieve, together with current members Benny Rietveld (bass) & percussionist Karl Perraza, started jamming and finally this new LP saw the light of day. The outcome? Well, this is by far the best set of songs we have heard since 1972. Of course, the main reason is the chemistry between members, which gladly is still intact. They have put a lot of soul in this, so it actually turned out honest. ‘Yambu’ kicks in similar fashion to ‘Batuka’ or ‘Waiting’, boasting a catchy cumbia rhythm complete with keyboard leads, percussion, as well as the eternal guitar licks. Segueing into ‘Shake It’, the first proper taste off IV, this is a typical call to dance. The fun jam offers everyone a moment in the spotlight, whereas the infectious chorus echoes classic moments before Neal & Carlos tear the house down. There are several improvisational tunes here and we can be thankful for each of them, since they’re a breath of fresh air after decades of forgettable music. ‘Fillmore East’ is a moody instrumental where the two showcase their skills on a steady background, while the romantic ‘Sueños’ offers some Spanish influences over airy keys & percussion. Despite being less frantic, the band manages to transpose you in the early days. Moreover, this is a proof that Latin music is timeless.

Once again, Gregg Rolie helped pen a handful of gorgeous cuts such as ‘Anywhere You Want To Go’, ‘Blues Magic’ or ‘Leave Me Alone’. The former’s atmosphere bears a resemblance to the quintessential ‘Black Magic Woman’, sharing an impressive organ solo backed by a top notch rhythm section. The heart broken, ‘Blues Magic’ is a lovely slow number akin to ‘Taboo’ off III, followed by the smooth ‘Leave Me Alone’ doing Supernatural the right way. It’s clear that record left a mark as pop influences interfere more than on the initial records. Still, that song is enticing and what’s important to mention is Rolie’s warm croon remains just as essential as always.

In the end, I am sure nobody expected IV to be on the same level as the first three records, let alone surpass it. Nevertheless, it offers a collection of solid tunes that were unlikely to ever be conceived. The excitement behind them is noticeable, yet overall they could have been trimmed for the standard release. There are 16 tracks at a total of almost 76 minutes. At this length, there would have been enough material for Santana V too. To be honest, with all the joy included, it’s exhausting to sit through the entire record without any breaks. If a handful of tracks had been left for a deluxe edition, the results would have been a lot more effective. Regardless, everyone who’s into the band’s music should be happy the main members are back together (this might be a one-off, who knows) and dropping such a good album after 45 years.

Santana Redux – Goldmine speaks to Carlos Santana and Gregg Rolie about the early days of Santana and the newly reformed “classic” lineup (2016)

From goldminemag.com Aug 2016

Carlos Santana is excited.“Wait until you hear this band again,” he enthuses just prior to the release of this year’s “Santana IV.” Back in 1969, when guitarist Santana led his sextet into the studio to record one of the greatest debuts in rock history, keyboardist Gregg Rolie, drummer Michael Shrieve, bassist David Brown (1950-2000), percussionist Michael Carabello (replacing original percussionist Marcus Malone who was in prison for manslaughter at the time) and percussionist Jose Chepito Areas had no way of knowing that their performance of that album’s closing instrumental, “Soul Sacrifice,” would propel them into the pantheon of great live bands when they clearly distinguished themselves amongst the rock elite at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, New York, in August of ’69.

Full-fledged rock stars, they followed it up with “Abraxas” and “Santana III” before the ever-searching Carlos would want to take a severe left turn into the jazz of his — not their — fourth album “Caravanserai.” That 1972 gem might’ve turned on a generation to like-minded sounds like Miles Davis, Weather Report (whose self-titled debut came out a year earlier), Return To Forever (whose self-titled debut came out just months prior) and John Coltrane, but it broke up the band.

“Exploring music is wonderful,” Hammond B3 organ master Gregg Rolie says. “Carlos himself will tell you. He’s committed professional suicide a couple of times. He’s just not afraid to do any kind of music. He just goes for it. It’s really quite amazing. He shoots for the moon and gets the stars. It’s a pretty rare thing he does. So, sure, I wanted to be on the radio with more hit songs like we did on our first three albums. The first time I heard what he wanted to do with ‘Caravanserai,’ I thought, ‘Wait a minute! This is a whole ‘nother dimension!’ I wanted no part of it. Neither did Neal (Schon). So that’s pretty much what happened. And that’s also why Carlos came up with the great name of “Santana IV.” Hell, the band just stopped dead at ‘Santana III’ in 1971.”

Neal Schon, who at the time also wanted to just rock out and be on the radio, formed Journey and stands as the only Journey member who participated in all 14 of their studio albums. It was his idea to get back with Carlos, who loved the idea and suggested they get the other three guys, too (although Schon remembers it differently; see sidebar). Rolie was on the road with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band when the call came.

“I think the phenomenal part about the whole thing is the way this all came about with Neal calling Carlos and then calling me. I had been out on the road with Ringo on the Pacific Rim Tour. Carlos had been out on the road on a Santana/Steve Miller Band tour. Neal had been peppering me with phone calls about how great it could be if the 1970 Santana band got back together. I told him, ‘It’s a great idea, but I’ll wait until I hear from Carlos.’ Then all of a sudden I start seeing it on the Internet. I even read a line attributed to Carlos saying, ‘I think we have Gregg.’ So I get home to Austin, waited for Carlos to also get home and rest up for a minute or two before I called him and said, ‘I’m totally into this.’ And the name ‘Santana IV’ is brilliant. It says it all in two words. Carlos and I had talked for years about this! We had thought of different ways to try it but it just never came to fruition.”

Carlos calls the energy “effervescent.”

Starting off with the hypnotizing “Yambu,” the same chemistry that won over the Woodstock Generation is still in play. “Yambu” is like a narcotic. It seduces, it hypnotizes … its groove is so out-front and inviting that it puts the listener right back in the zone as if the 45 years between “Santana III” and “Santana IV” never existed. But “Shake It” is even more exciting — it totally restores and resurrects that original Santana magic,as Carlos wails in one speaker and Neal wails in the other while Gregg’s liquid spill of Hammond B3 is stuck dead in the middle. Then comes the single, “Anywhere You Want To Go,” which reminds of the funk band War. Rolie wrote it.

“It’s the only song I ever wrote on a plane. I had a gig with my own band in Santa Cruz and by the time we landed, I had it all written … in my head. I like the War analogy. Yeah, it’s got some of that. It’s so Santana, though, y’know? I’ve written a lot of songs in the last 40 years. I have a tendency to lean back on the stuff I did in Santana like a first-born. It’s my comfort zone. It’s where I go, man. That blues-based sound with a nine in there where you just throw in all kinds of kitchen sink appliances. There’s so much music in it that you can’t put your finger on it. They always say you cannot give a label to Latin Rock. It’s just Santana music. It’s just the way it is.”

Sixteen tracks in a second or two under 80 minutes, the most music one can possibly squeeze on to a single CD, and by the time you’re finished, you just want to play the whole damn thing over again. On “Fillmore East,” you can close your eyes, smell the patchouli oil and picture the throbbing liquidity of the Joshua Light Show. At 7:44, it’s the longest track on the CD, containing a real Monk Misterioso moment or two before morphing into Mahavishnu territory. It takes its sweet time meandering circuitously from Point A to Point B, which is the absolute essence of jam bands.

“We were one of the original jam bands,” says Rolie. “We came from that era. And we backed it up. We were listening to jazz, Latin and blues greats the whole time, basing our own brand of rock ’n’ roll off them! It’s all in there, man. Hey, we just play. And it’s still there when we play off of each other. It just comes out that way.”

Tell that to Carlos and he smiles. “Wonderful. Yeah, that’s what we wanted,” he enthuses. “It’s a good thing somebody stopped us in the studio when we were recording ‘Fillmore East’ or we’d still be playing it. You see, when it comes to that hall, we’ve loved and listened to The Doors and the Grateful Dead and so many other great bands that it’s in our DNA. They say if you can scoop the sound right out of the walls of that place that Bill Graham created when hiring artists like Otis Redding, Jeff Beck, Sly & The Family Stone, the Allman Brothers and, of course, Santana, that’s what we tried to do on that track. We tried to recreate that vibe with genuine honesty and authenticity. That’s really important to me. This is not cute and clever. It’s not nostalgia. This is not old-school. It’s nothing like that. It’s putting your finger on the pulse of your wrist and feeling really deeply the now of it all. We’re connected with the now. Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, John Lennon, we’re connected by the same passion, the same vision and the same mission that they had. That’s who we are. That’s who I am.”

The conversation with Carlos is always filled with the ghosts of his heroes. When Goldmine sat down with the man for the cover story of our September 2015 issue, he had explained about the continuity of cultures between his heroes and friends — Wayne Shorter and John McLaughlin (both still alive, thankfully), Charlie “Bird” Parker, Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison to name just five of dozens. He’s so filled with the music in his every waking moment that after talking to him, you want to go back and experience every sound every one of those artists made with a new and clear determination to let them soak into your very consciousness. That’s what Santana, the man, brings to the table.

“I just feel really grateful to be in this band again,” he continues. “It’s like getting five different chefs to start chopping and boiling water to put our own flavors into it. I’m so grateful to close my eyes, open them up again and see Gregg Rolie playing that Hammond organ as well as both Michaels (Carabello and Shrieve), plus Neal Schon, vocalist Ronnie Isley on two tracks, bassist Benny Rietveld and percussionist Karl Perazzo helping us out with the congas and timbale parts. It’s a beautiful thing.”

“Playing with these guys is like riding a bicycle,” adds Rolie. “We got together that first time and — I think because everybody was really into doing it — it was no chore whatsoever. It was a total labor of love. And I think it shows. I had a ball.”

“Sueños” is the calm before the “Choo Choo” storm, but for this reporter’s money, “Caminando” rules because of its tip of the hat to The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues,” only with Latin breaks and Spanish lyrics. Its complex arrangement had to have been worked on long and hard in advance because you don’t just jam and have it come out like this!

Rolie remembers that Carlos arranged what was indeed a long jam afterward. “He has such great ideas. He started it from the middle and totally reinvented it. At one point, he looked over to me and asked me what I thought. I just said, ‘You’re on your own, brother. I don’t know where you’re going with this but I love it!’

“I don’t know how long this wave can continue,” he continues, “but the way it all feels, I’m just taking it a day at a time and loving every minute. It’s so great. Hey, we all know Carlos can change his mind on a dime but for now we’re planning all sorts of sh*t. There’s so many things we could do. ‘Santana V’ is certainly on my wish list. I certainly wouldn’t mind being there for Santana VI, VII and VII, man! To be friends with Carlos again is a total joy. There’s no one like him. Period. It’s always all about the music with Carlos. His whole life has been like that. And it shows. It’s who he is. He’s an amazing musician, first and foremost. But he’s ‘The Master Of Melody.’ It’s heartfelt. He likes music that a lot of people don’t like because he hears things that nobody hears. He’s a very unusual guy. He’s like an archivist when it comes to music. He listens to everything.”

“I’m just so thrilled the energy is intact,” adds Carlos. “When I hear the album after not listening to it for awhile — I purposely don’t — it’s like ‘Oh my God,’ I’m an 8-year old seeing Niagara Falls for the first time.”

Santana – Santana IV (2016)

From progarchives.com

Review by tszirmay

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!

Santana IV (2016)

From theprogressiveaspect.net

Santana is a name known globally; Carlos and his band were at Woodstock in 1969, that performance and the many decades of music since helping to cement his claim to being one of the world’s greatest guitarists. Selling more than 100 million albums worldwide over 40 years, he is a multi-Grammy award winner whose latest albums have been collaborative efforts; if there was a college for musical collaborations then it would be chaired by Carlos Santana. His work with Rob Thomas on Smooth is just one of many examples of the successes that have simultaneously invigorated both his and other artists’ careers. Carlos has also worked with new artists, providing them with a launching pad.

His last album, the emotional Corazón, saw a re-connection with his Latin roots and featured many famous names from the genre and, alongside his recent The Universal Tone: Bringing My Story to Light memoir, helped to inspire the re-formation of the original band from the first three Santana albums.

The re-forming of classic bands to make new music is nothing new, the inspirations for such ventures spanning the realms of desire, from genuine love of the music and a need to play together again to the need to pay the bills or refill the cash drawers. The results of such re-boots have been mixed, to say the least. However, Santana IV is hopefully a new trend in the right direction; an album which needed to be made. There are no Evil Ways, Soul Sacrifice, Oye Como Va or Black Magic Woman, or other out of this world chartbusters, instead the entire album is worthy of attention, including a couple of Europa / Samba Pa Ti styled instrumentals.

This is the 23^rd studio album to carry the Santana band name but only the fourth to feature the legendary original line-up of Carlos, who of course plays lead guitar and sings some lead vocals, bassist Benny Rietveld, drummer Michael Shrieve, percussionists Michael Carabello and Karl Perazzo and subsequent Journey members Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon on Hammond B3/keyboards and guitar respectively. Rolie provides lead vocals for most of the songs not sung by Carlos or guest vocalist Ronald Isley of the Isley Brothers, who sings two tracks.

IV opens dramatically with the thrilling Yambu, a true Afro/Latin rumba drum and percussion attack, and you can immediately feel the intensity coming from this reunion as the tempo matches the ferocity of the cover artwork of a snarling animal (an updated version of the cover of the debut Santana album by Heather Griffin–Vine). The rhythm never lets go, the listener transported as the group celebrates its reunion. It sounds like a Mayan ceremony, the refrain sung in unison like an emotionally rejuvenated chorus. Full of power and rich with sound, Yambu satisfies upon first listen; the rest of the album quickly grows on you in a short time. There have been few albums this year that have motivated me to play them repeatedly but IV is one of them, containing mostly hits with no duds, and I recommend it completely.

Shake It keeps the fire and percussion pumping as Santana bleeds through with a powerful electric guitar solo, Rolie singing, “Doesn’t matter what I know. Gonna find the groove. Baby don’t let it go. There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do. Make you shake. Gonna make you groove”, and yes, they do. The Hammond B3 is impressive, hovering above a percussion, bass and ripping lead guitar soundscape. The pace is fast and full of power. “Give me some love when I lay it down. Giving it up, never touch the ground. You want more, more, more”. Of course we do as Schon and Santana trade solos and push each other to greater heights. Power in a four minute nut shell.

The first two songs answer any questions regarding whether or not this band still has an axe and hammer, they now cool things down with the fun Anywhere You Want to Go which opens with soft keys.  Excellent guitar and bass set the pace and it’s like driving a convertible in the sun. A perfect summer song and one of the album’s biggest hits.

Named after the famous concert venue in New York, Fillmore East is the longest tracks and the first of four magnificent instrumentals. Sit back and drink this one in on headphones to fully appreciate it, you will be taken back to some of the classic instrumentals from the early albums, especially Singing Winds and Crying Beasts, before it jettisons into electric guitar to retrace the sounds of Europa (Earth’s Cry Heaven’s Smile) from the Amigos album. Of the other instrumentals, All Aboard is a great coda to Choo Choo‘s foot stomping percussion extravaganza, full of Latin fire as the ‘train’ burns down the rails with Santana and Schon having a rollicking time soloing. Echizo, or ‘Spell’, is another fun guitar romp, percussion helping to create an emotional wave to pull the listener under, while You and I is full of soft soloing from Carlos over grand piano. Schon joins in to complement this bluesy, soulful work that’s full of emotion. The beat picks up as Hammond B3 joins, Santana effortlessly building a wall of sound and decorating it with ear piercing riffs.

The lyrics of Love Makes the World Go Round, sung by Ronald Isley, are powerful and filled with an inspirational message, but sounding like they came from the Flower Power ‘60s it’s great for nostalgia but may not connect well with Millennials. The music is not as powerful, although the drums, percussion and bass have their moments, and despite Isley’s wonderful performance it sounds too much like traditional Santana without the innovation found on the rest of IV. A similar lyrical stance is found on the more innovative and fun Freedom in Your Mind. The rhythm and melody are perfect as Isley sings, “We can change the world and bring it peace. Making every day a holiday”. The beat steps up and the band join in to make it a celebration that everyone can join. Another favourite.

The aforementioned Choo Choo sees Rolie sing lyrics full of love while the pace would be an excellent companion to any workout – the Hammond B3 and percussion certainly get a good workout! Sueños (‘dreams’ in Spanish) shows that Carlos understands the right mood for such a soulful and emotional song, the opening theme almost like something from a James Bond movie before it gently becomes a Santana classic in the same way that Europa did. It lifts your heart and emotions, complete with what sounds like orchestral strings, mellow organ, piano and soft percussion. A winner in every way, it’s my overall favourite song on this collection, along with Forgiveness, the epic closer.

The rocking Caminando has more playful lyrics amidst excellent crunching music. Rolie sings, “I’m looking forward to spend some time. Sharing together a glass of…”, then big drums, percussion and revving guitars start grinding, Santana and Schon sparring with so many licks that you will cherish and will stay with you beyond the song’s conclusion. This is a celebration of two wonderful guitarists who should never have parted company.

I love the blues and Blues Magic is a fine tribute. Santana and Schon both have deep blues credentials and this song captures all the feeling and compassion that the music brings to its audience. Rolie sings, “Have you ever lost a lover. Drowning in your tears… You just live through the day trying not to hurt every night. Well there’s magic in the blues. Magic that’ll make it alright”. The emotional lead guitar that follows is magical, Rolie singing, “The sky is gonna open and the sun will shine for only you”.

Leave Me Alone opens like so many great Santana songs with Carlos’ lead and percussion filling the air. Reaching out to a lover, the Hammond B3 is back and put to great use as Rolie sings, “Leave me alone, I don’t wanna feel this way. Baby don’t go, I never wanna say… leave me alone…”. Come as You Are is a Santana anthem if ever I heard one; no pretences necessary, just enjoy the music. No need for superficial anything – be yourself. Carlos sings most of this Caribbean flavoured celebration in Spanish, an anthem of fun and just what the world needs right now.

Finally, Forgiveness is the deep, emotional, epic closer to this reunion. Maybe Santana is talking about what he wrote in his memoir. Maybe it’s about what was needed to get this band back together. Maybe it is more of a global statement. Or maybe it is all of this and more. I’m not sure if this was the last song the band recorded, but it feels like a solemn goodbye… for now, hopefully. Rolie sings with an unfathomable depth of emotion, you feel the skilfulness with which this sing was created as guitar solos build high arches, reaching towards the stars.

“Whoa, so many fallen angels.
Whoa, can this guide them through the night?
And fill their life.
Whoa, let forgiveness wrap around them.
Whoa, it will bless them with the light.
Whoa, can you see the coming light?”

They definitely saved the best until last.

This is the reunion album you have been waiting for. Santana has created a template that I hope other future reunions will follow. IV is a masterpiece and proof that this reunion should not be a one–off and I hope they will come back with Santana V as they should never have broken up in the first place. Enjoy every minute of this album… as soon as you can.

TRACK LISTING
01. Yambu (3:26)
02. Shake It (4:44)
03. Anywhere You Want To Go (5:04)
04. Fillmore East (7:44)
05. Love Makes The World Go Round (4:20)
06. Freedom In Your Mind (5:29)
07. Choo Choo (4:09)
08. All Aboard (2:03)
09. Sueños (5:15)
10. Caminando (4:20)
11. Blues Magic (4:25)
12. Echizo (3:53)
13. Leave Me Alone (4:01)
14. You And I (4:20)
15. Come As You Are (4:51)
16. Forgiveness (7:22)

Total Time – 75:26

MUSICIANS
Gregg Rolie – Lead Vocals, Hammond B3 Organ & Keyboards
Carlos Santana – Guitar & Vocals
Neal Schon – Guitar & Vocals
Benny Rietveld – Bass
Michael Shrieve – Drums
Michael Carabello – Congas, Percussion & Background Vocals
Karl Perazzo – Timbales, Percussion & Vocals
~ with
Ronald Isley – Lead Vocals (tracks 5 & 6)