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Santana Album - Santana III
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Release Date:1998-04-06
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Type:Unknown
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Genre:Rock, Fusion, Classic Rock
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Label:Columbia/Legacy
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Explicit Lyrics:Yes
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UPC:5099748954428
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Review :
{^Santana III} is an album that undeservingly stands in the shadows behind the towering legend that is the band's second album, {^Abraxas}. This was also the album that brought guitarist {$Neal Schon} -- who was 17 years old -- into the original core lineup of {$Santana}. Percussionist {$Thomas "Coke" Escovedo} was brought in to replace (temporarily) {$José Chepitó Areas}, who had suffered a brain aneurysm, yet who recovered quickly and rejoined the band. The rest were {$Carlos}, organist {$Gregg Rolie}, drummer {$Michael Schrieve}, bassist {$David Brown}, and conguero {$Michael Carabello}. {&"Batuka"} is the powerful first evidence of something being very different. The band was rawer, darker, and more powerful with twin leads and {$Schon}'s harder, edgier {\rock & roll} sound paired with {$Carlos}' blend of ecstatic high notes and soulful fills. It cooks -- funky, mean, and tough. {&"Batuka"} immediately transforms itself into {&"No One to Depend On,"} by {$Escovedo}, {$Carabello}, and {$Rolie}. The middle section is highlighted by frantic handclaps, call-and-response lines between {$Schon} and {$Rolie}, and {$Carlos} joining the fray until the entire track explodes into a frenzied finale. And what's most remarkable is that the set just keeps on cooking, from the subtle slow burn of {&"Taboo"} to the percussive jam workout that is {&"Toussaint l'Overture,"} a live staple in the band's set list recorded here for the first time (and featuring some cooking {$Rolie} organ work at its beginning). {&"Everybody's Everything"} is here, as is {&"Guajira"} and {&"Jungle Strut"} -- tunes that are still part of {$Santana}'s live show. With acoustic guitars, gorgeous hand percussion, and {$Santana}'s fragile lead vocal, {&"Everything's Coming Our Way"} is the only "feel good" track here, but it's a fitting way to begin winding the album down with its {$Schon} and {$Santana} guitar breaks. The album ends with a completely transformed reading of {$Tito Puente}'s {&"Para los Rumberos,"} complete with horns and frantic, almost insanely fast hand drumming and cowbell playing. It's an album that has aged extremely well due to its spare production (by {$Carlos} and the band) and its live sound. This is essential {$Santana}, a record that deserves to be reconsidered in light of its lasting abundance and vision. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
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