Santana – SANTANA****

Waiting/Evil Ways/Shades Of Time/Savor/Jingo/Persuasion/Treat/You Just Don’t Care/Soul Sacrifice

The eponymous debut album from the Latin-rock group Santana who made a big impression at the Woodstock festival. Santana includes the US No. 9 hit single Evil Ways. (US:4 UK:26)

“Santana's debut should be a stone classic and what prevents it is that it lacks focus, tending to aimlessly meander at times. But when the band is on, they're really on. There are several fiery Santana classics here, including the gorgeous piano-driven Treat, the incendiary Soul Sacrifice, and the tribal mesmerism of Jingo. Santana is a true early rock classic.”

“Virtually unknown before Woodstock, their thrilling performance of Soul Sacrifice turned them into an overnight sensation.”

“Santana start their career off in magnificent fashion with this excellent debut. The band's trademark mix of psychedelic hard rock with Latin rhythms is already fully formed albeit with a slightly bluesier edge than on subsequent releases.”

“Instrumentally fine: all the Latin, psych and blues elements come into play here, but this is just flat out unexceptional and even boring in places. Aside from perhaps the climax of Soul Sacrifice, this is completely unmoving and underwhelming.”

“When this album came out it introduced the public to the fundamentally new sound of Latin rock, with distinct elements of afro-Cuban music and rhythms, and more hidden elements of fusion jazz. Not only was it an entirely new sound; it was solid and intense, of an incredible high quality, and the synergetic fusion of the band members is really awesome.”

“Santana's 1969 debut album stands apart from most other rock and pop of the period in deploying a unique fusion of San Francisco rock, Latino rhythms and complex African-influenced percussion. This young band made a big impact with a fresh sound, often fast and furious, full of percussive sophistication, overlaid with the young Santana's wailing guitar which quickly became their trademark. Hard-edged songs, with more traditional verse-chorus structure, are mixed with heavily percussive numbers and the occasional slower-tempo numbers.”