Santana - Santana III - Hybrid SACD/Individually Numbered - CD

The final Santana album recorded with the leader's famed Woodstock lineup, one of the most capable and explosive bands ever assembled, Santana III (commonly referred to as The Third Album) is a beacon of Latin-tinged rock, melodic creativity, and cohesive interplay. The record also marks the debut of young guitar virtuoso Neal Schon, who functions as the ideal foil to Santana, whose playing on this 1971 set rivals that of the finest in his career. If not for arriving after the monumental Abraxas, it is likely Santana III would be mentioned in the same breath as groundbreaking psychedelic classics such as Bitches Brew. It's that good and now, it's even better.Santana III features sumptuous warmth, immersive dynamics, refined textures, and you-are-there realism.

From the opening 'Batuka,' peppered with Schon's stirring guitar lines, to the sensitive 'Everything Is Coming Our Way,' infused with a mesmerizing Hammond organ underpinning that supports Santana's vocal pathos, the record teams with inventiveness. Involving albeit accessible concoctions of funk, jazz, rock, blues, and soul run throughout the set. Spanish-styled flavors infuse a majority of the material, ranging from the salsa piano on 'Guarjira' to the distinctive 'No One to Depend On,' a lively take on the cha-cha-cha.A globe-spanning armada of percussive instruments - timbales, congas, drums, vibes, tambourines, and more - as well as the existence of a three-person percussion team that fits in harmoniously with Santana, Schon, and company makes Santana III a masterful accomplishment in musical chemistry and the exploration of worldly sounds.

1. Batuka
2. No One to Depend On
3. Taboo
4. Toussaint L'Overture
5. Everybody's Everything
6. Guajira
7. Jungle Strut
8. Everything's Coming Our Way
9. Para los Rumberos