Showing posts with label Santana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Santana. Show all posts

7/27/2017

Rock-Pop Review: The Isley Brothers - Santana-Power of Peace

Release Date: July 28, 2017
Label: Sony Legacy

I have been waiting for another great Santana release.  One that shook me to the core and moved my soul. Well it has arrived!  Who would have imagined Carlos, Ron and Ernie Isley and their family members would do this? Not to mention a host of other outstanding musicians, would come together to present all these classic songs on one album?


Power of Peace will arrive for all you rock and pop fans just chomping at the bit for some real music. I’m talking about music that has a fire in its belly ready to inspire you and put a smile on your face that will last all day long.


Santana is still cooking right along. His guitar doesn’t gently weep, it screams “Hear me now people!” This is the Power of Peace and how two musical brothers came together to create a powerhouse of music. So “Are You Ready” to join in this celebration of life, love, peace and music?


Typical of Santana is take all the genres and stir it all up to make simmering versions of every track. He expertly takes rock, blues, jazz, pop and soul and makes it his own. The impeccable musicianship is evident throughout this album. And what can be said about Ron Isley? He is a young 76 at this point in his incredible and iconic career. What a phenomenal performance from these musical giants.

These kinds of collaborations do not always work however these two gents have a deep abiding respect for each other and that is felt in the music. I even heard some rap in Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” that I enjoyed, it just fit so well. I simply do not care for rap but this was so well done and mixed nicely with the pace of the song. The fact that it is one many classics from a legend did not hurt either.

For fans that are old enough to reminisce about listening to the AM radio in the summer either at work or play will listen to this music with great joy. This is a reminder of our past and that some of the artists still making music know better than anyone else how to get the message over to the masses. On flip side there is an entirely new generation waiting to discover this great music and start digging into the back catalogs of the Isley’s and Santana.

The people involved in this project are serving as the delivery vehicle and the music itself, Power of Peace, is the ambassador we all need to listen to.

“Body Talk” is sensuous and smooth. It is one of the best tracks on the album. It is soulful, full of rhythm and snakebite guitar riffs from Carlos. And the amazing “Gypsy Woman”(By Bryan Brian Hyland) is a real slow burner as Ron and Carlos make it sound like a new hit born to rule the soul and R&B charts. I first heard that song on K-Tel’s 20 Power Hits Vol. 2 (the first LP I ever bought with my own money). And speaking of burning up…Willie Dixon’s all-time blues classic “I Just Want to Make Love to You” is on fire! Carlos just cuts loose like only he can, he guitar is crying the blues but is it ever so sweet. This is a killer track.

After my third listen it really hit home. I put myself in a room by myself and absorbed it all, every note.

Power of Peace is a great achievement. For the Isley’s and Santana it is a dream come true and now it is for us as well. If you are listening to latest hits on the radio, online or on iTunes etc. and you say to yourself “They just don’t make music like this anymore,” after hearing this, then you would be right! Give this music a few spins and it will restore your faith in human race, so listen often. ”Mercy Mercy Me” indeed.

5/5 Stars

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
July 26, 2017
Founder of:

Review Provided By Write A Music Review

Tracks: 
01. Are You Ready
02. Total Destruction to Your Mind
03. Higher Ground
04. God Bless the Child
05. I Remember
06. Body Talk
07. Gypsy Woman
08. I Just Want to Make Love to You
09.  Love, Peace, Happiness
10. What the World Needs Now Is Love Sweet Love
11. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
12. Let the Rain Fall On Me
13. Let There Be Peace On Earth

5/10/2017

Rock-Blues-World Review: Santana-Lotus (Hybrid SACD)

Release Date: January 6, 2017
Label: Audio Fidelity

I want to start by saying that I am big fan of Santana and most of his musical output. I have a lot of his catalog at my immediate disposal. I have also been one of those people that believe his earlier lineups were the most original and progressive. I personally enjoy the first three albums the most, which enabled me to appreciate everything that came after that in different ways. With a new set of ears and looking inward spiritually, I would consider what he was presenting. When he started getting more commercial is when many people may have lost interest. I think I have heard one album that I thought was mediocre in over 30 years, so not a bad track for my listening tastes. This is my preference and opinion of course. To each his own as they say.

Anyone familiar with Santana knows about Lotus. As notated on the Audio Fidelity site: Lotus is a 1974 live album by Santana, recorded at the Osaka Koseinenkin Hall, Osaka, Japan in 1973. It was originally released in 1974 as a triple vinyl LP in Japan only. 

A little history regarding the release as follows:

The first U.S. release was in 1991 as a 2-CD set. Lotus has been re-issued on vinyl in the Netherlands and on CD in Japan in 2006 as a 3-CD set. It was also re-issued as a 3-LP set in the U.S. in 2013, and as a 3-CD hybrid SACD with seven previously unreleased bonus tracks in 2017 (a very high priced set). So, it is safe to say this recording has gone through several iterations since its inception a and has stood the test of time as one of the greatest live albums ever recorded. 

Now we have the superb version issued by Audio Fidelity, a two-disc Hybrid SACD that brings the concert to life with a crisp robust remastered take on the legendary performance. Santana Mark II was a continuation of the Mark I sound that was a melting pot of Latin-World-Rock-Blues-Jazz Music.  It was extremely innovative and one of the progenitors to the World Music that would arrive in the future. Some of the players switched seats however their sound remained intact and this release proves out that fact repeatedly.

Santana has influenced many musicians over the years however it is the early distinctly original rock fusion he presented that paved the way too many inroads into music then and today. I got into the early Santana music after I had already absorbed Return to Forever, Al DiMeola, Jean Luc-Ponty etc. So, for my journey it was a logical transition and very enjoyable I might add. 

Santana was like Hendrix, melding several genres and effects and taking his six-string to new heights. You could only experience that in a live setting and Lotus captures some incredible moments that were never reproduced again. His sound is very distinct and you know it when you hear it.

Audio Fidelity has been one of the anchor labels for special edition CDs and LP’s for many years now. This is the second run of the Lotus Hybrid SACD, which comes as no surprise. They release great titles with unmatched packaging and sound. As always I suggest getting your copy before they disappear.

Whether you’re a musician, producer, collector or audiophile, there is something here to appreciate for everyone. Lotus is a truly iconic release honored in the most prolific way possible by Audio Fidelity.

The Lotus Santana Line Up Included:
    Carlos Santana – lead guitar, Latin percussion
    Leon Thomas – maracas, vocals, Latin percussion
    Tom Coster – Hammond organ, electric piano, Yamaha organ, Latin percussion
    Richard Kermode – Hammond organ, electric piano, Latin percussion
    Doug Rauch – bass
    Armando Peraza – congas, bongos, Latin percussion
    José "Chepito" Areas – timbales, congas, Latin percussion
    Michael Shrieve – drums

5/5 Stars

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
May 10, 2017
Founder of:

Review Provided By Write A Music Review

Tracks:

Disc One:
 

01. Going Home
02. A-1 Funk
03. Every Step of the Way
04. Black Magic Woman
05. Gypsy Queen
06. Oye Como Va
07. Yours Is the Light
08. Batuka
09. Xibaba (She-Ba-Ba)
10. Stone Flower (Introduction)
11. Waiting
12. Castillos de Arena Part 1 (Sand Castle)
13. Free Angela
14. Samba de Sausalito


Disc Two:
 

01. Mantra
02. Kyoto (Drum Solo)
03. Castillos de Arena Part 2 (Sand Castle)
04. Incident at Neshabur
05. Se a Cabo

 

10/31/2016

Audio Fidelity To Release Legendary Santana Live Album “Lotus” 2-CD On Limited Edition Hybrid SACD


“...one of the greatest live albums ever recorded and one of the supreme achievements in guitar playing.”

Camarillo, CA – Marshall Blonstein's Audio Fidelity will be releasing Santana's critically acclaimed live album Lotus on limited edition hybrid SACD. Lotus is a 1974 live album by Santana, recorded at the Osaka Koseinenkin Hall, Osaka, Japan in 1973. It was originally released in 1974 as a triple vinyl LP in Japan only. The first U.S. release was in 1991 as a 2-CD set. It features the “New Santana Band” and combines that group's jazz and spiritual influences. Some of the band's biggest hits are performed, such as “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Como Va,” but it is the extended, intense instrumentals that are the order of the day such as the breathtaking “Incident at Neshabur,” “Every Step of the Way,” and “Toussaint L'Overture.”

Carlos' superpowered guitar is mesmerizing, the entire atmosphere is otherworldly, beautiful, modern jazzy and most of all, electrifying. His guitar tone is perfect, each solo has a central rhythmic and melodic structure that was used to express in a moment what can never be repeated. The greatness of Lotus is its ability to take all of Carlos' beautiful melodies and expand them each into a whole new creation.

Santana fans know there are “several different Santanas.” This was the MILES Santana, the COLTRANE Santana. This is intense and awe-inspiring music played with so much mind-numbing passion. Carlos' guitar speaks notes on this recording that are nothing short of extraordinary. He manages to imbue a vibration that cuts right through your soul. Even on the familiar hits, the jazz fusion makes its way into the notes and Carlos delivers a new message. This was the top of Santana's spiritual-fusion era. Lotus is the Live Santana album that gives other Live albums a bad name. Spectacular, breathtaking, emotional, spiritual...and it rocks!

Disc one
Going Home
A-1 Funk
Every Step of the Way
Black Magic Woman
Gypsy Queen
Oye Como Va
Yours Is the Light
Batuka
Xibaba (She-Ba-Ba)
Stone Flower (Introduction)
Waiting
Castillos de Arena Part 1 (Sand Castle)
Free Angela
Samba de Sausalito

Disc two
Mantra
Kyoto (Drum Solo)
Castillos de Arena Part 2 (Sand Castle)
Incident at Neshabur
Se a Cabo
Samba Pa Ti
Mr. Udo
Toussaint L'Overture

Produced by The New Santana Band
Mastered by Steve Hoffman and Stephen Marsh at Marsh Mastering
SACD Authoring: Stephen Marsh at Marsh Mastering

For more information: www.audiofidelity.net

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Audio Fidelity To Release Legendary Santana Live Album “Lotus” 2-CD On Limited Edition Hybrid SACD


“...one of the greatest live albums ever recorded and one of the supreme achievements in guitar playing.”

Camarillo, CA – Marshall Blonstein's Audio Fidelity will be releasing Santana's critically acclaimed live album Lotus on limited edition hybrid SACD. Lotus is a 1974 live album by Santana, recorded at the Osaka Koseinenkin Hall, Osaka, Japan in 1973. It was originally released in 1974 as a triple vinyl LP in Japan only. The first U.S. release was in 1991 as a 2-CD set. It features the “New Santana Band” and combines that group's jazz and spiritual influences. Some of the band's biggest hits are performed, such as “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Como Va,” but it is the extended, intense instrumentals that are the order of the day such as the breathtaking “Incident at Neshabur,” “Every Step of the Way,” and “Toussaint L'Overture.”

Carlos' superpowered guitar is mesmerizing, the entire atmosphere is otherworldly, beautiful, modern jazzy and most of all, electrifying. His guitar tone is perfect, each solo has a central rhythmic and melodic structure that was used to express in a moment what can never be repeated. The greatness of Lotus is its ability to take all of Carlos' beautiful melodies and expand them each into a whole new creation.

Santana fans know there are “several different Santanas.” This was the MILES Santana, the COLTRANE Santana. This is intense and awe-inspiring music played with so much mind-numbing passion. Carlos' guitar speaks notes on this recording that are nothing short of extraordinary. He manages to imbue a vibration that cuts right through your soul. Even on the familiar hits, the jazz fusion makes its way into the notes and Carlos delivers a new message. This was the top of Santana's spiritual-fusion era. Lotus is the Live Santana album that gives other Live albums a bad name. Spectacular, breathtaking, emotional, spiritual...and it rocks!

Disc one
Going Home
A-1 Funk
Every Step of the Way
Black Magic Woman
Gypsy Queen
Oye Como Va
Yours Is the Light
Batuka
Xibaba (She-Ba-Ba)
Stone Flower (Introduction)
Waiting
Castillos de Arena Part 1 (Sand Castle)
Free Angela
Samba de Sausalito

Disc two
Mantra
Kyoto (Drum Solo)
Castillos de Arena Part 2 (Sand Castle)
Incident at Neshabur
Se a Cabo
Samba Pa Ti
Mr. Udo
Toussaint L'Overture

Produced by The New Santana Band
Mastered by Steve Hoffman and Stephen Marsh at Marsh Mastering
SACD Authoring: Stephen Marsh at Marsh Mastering

For more information: www.audiofidelity.net

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com