MONGO SANTAMARIA — Hey! Let’s Party (review)

MONGO SANTAMARIA — Hey! Let’s Party album cover Album · 1966 · Latin Rock/Soul Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
js
Mongo Santamaria received a lot of criticism from both the jazz and Afro-Cuban establishment for his attempts to mix American RnB with Afro-Cuban rhythms, but to collectors of rare grooves, these records can be treasure troves. The key words here are “can be”, because Mongo’s Latin RnB records are sometimes trite and overly commercial, its hit and miss for the collector looking for some exotic 60s/70s beats when you start digging into the huge stack of Santamaria’s output.

“Hey! Let’s Party” definitely falls into the hit and miss category, there are some great tunes on here, but also some fairly lifeless filler that just follows the Mongo recipe for success, but without the passion. One of the best cuts on here is “Baila Dance”, a hot Latin groove original by Marty Sheller and the only song on the album that isn’t a cover of a pop tune. Mongo’s Latin funk hybrid works magic on “I got You”, a song that often falters for mediocre bar bands all across the world. The best of the rest include a slinky cover of “Satisfaction” and an OK cover of “Shotgun”. The rest of the album is not terrible, but its just not up to what Santamaria is capable of. “Walk on By” is dull and lifeless and do we really need more covers of “Louie Louie” or “In the Mood”.

For the serious collector, there are about three or four songs on here that you might want to get, but if you are looking for something better, try Mongo’s “Stoned Soul”.
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