dreadpirateroberts This one is tough to review, because I find myself focusing on what is missing from the album, in terms of what I enjoyed in previous works. Ultimately this is unfair to ‘Amigos’ as a distinct work, as opposed to ‘Amigos’ as an album that represents a single point in the band’s discography. Because taken as a work isolated from the rest of Santana’s discography, it’s not bad.

While the jazz component is reduced and a more ‘sing along’ feel appears on some of the songs, there’s still adequate space for solos, only now Carlos is treading over well-worn ground and the material that might appeal to the single market isn’t as punchy or catchy. Pieces like ‘Take Me With You’ recall some of the ‘old’ Santana, but in a totally derivative manner, the rhythm being lifted from ‘Incident at Neshabur.’ While ‘Let Me’ cranks along a bit it fails to deliver a distinctive vocal line (something ‘Tell Me Are you Tired’ also suffers from). Thankfully, the more traditional Mexican approach in ‘Gitano’ is a great break in the album and I’d have loved to hear Santana do a little more in this style, rather than the safe-sounding funk outings like ‘Let it Shine.’

Generally the album is dragged down due to the fact that most of the songs could have been trimmed for excess. Despite this ‘Dance Sister Dance’ is one of the better pieces on the album, achieving that classic Santana cruise but bringing in a kind of Head Hunters inspired second half that gets a little spacey, which is a pleasant surprise.

I can’t go over two stars for this one, but nor can I say it’s a terrible album. There are some great moments but ultimately not enough to lift ‘Amigos’ any higher. People who consider themselves big Santana fans might still like this, but it’s not for casual listeners, not for someone who would call themselves an ‘average jazz fan’ nor will fusion-addicts find all that much to sink their teeth into here.

Warthur Amigos finds Santana well and truly locked into the commercial trajectory their music would take for a good long while. Playing jazzy disco-funk with occasionally infuriating lyrics (Let Me is particularly irritating on that front), the album is saved from being a complete waste by Carlos Santana's guitar heroics, which are extremely technically accomplished though, if I'm being honest, more than a little bland and generic this time around. Particularly sad is the lack of Flora Purim and Airto Moreira, whose contributions had been so helpful on Borboletta and Welcome. This has to be considered one for the Santana fanatics only, I fear.

Sean Trane Right from the opening track, you know you are in for another typical 70’s ride, hovering between Latin rock, fusion and semi-space jazz-rock with good vibrations that the Beach Boys could not even imagine possible. Yes, this music might just seem a little lightweight if you don’t listen to it carefully. No this music is anything but positive (except lyrically and spiritually). Just listening to Take Me With You or DSD can only forget your partner‘s little cheats for a while. But as with any Santana album, there are some slightly weaker material (Let Me, Tell Me You’re Tired) , but Santana’s filler tracks would be highlights on many other artistes discographies. Yet, some real gems appear with the full-fusion of latin jazz-funk gitano, mixing Flamenco with a Salsa-Bossa jazz. Of course the “hits” (over 5 minutes for a hit is a little magical, but Carlos was a bit of that was he not?) such as Europa (still getting much airplay 30 years later) can only give you a sense of fulfillingness and Santana’s guitar solos are still as majestic as ever.

Not that the album is particularly good in retrospect with his full career, Carlos being just content on having the group in cruise control in that succesful path he had managed to stear his machine. Yet giving any less than 3.5 stars to any of his mid to late-70’s albums just seems to be out of question. But again, owe it to Carlos’s positive psychology to account for such good ratings.