Carlos
Santana is one of the greatest guitar players of all
time. Creator of a unique and easily recognizable sound
stemming equally from his latin roots in blues music
as the influences of psychedelia he experienced in his
youth given that while he was born in Mexico, he was
raised in California. When the band Santana emerged
onto the San Francisco scene in the late 60s, its impact
was felt almost immediately, performing breathtaking
shows combining strong percussion with spirituality
and melodic elevation. Spiritual Ascensión: The Best
Of is a bonafide gem, a double album of re-recordings
of songs in their original formats from Santana's early
years such as Evil Ways, Jingo, Soul Sacrifice, Shades
Of Time or Persuasión, that later became the band's
biggest hits from their explosive first album. The double
album also includes unedited recordings of songs never
released on past albums of note including Fried Neckbones
and Some Homefries (produced by Willie Bobo, an influential
force behind the group's sound), The Way You Do To Me
or As The Years Go Passing By.
The second disc includes jam sessions completely in
keeping with the experimental spirit and freedom of
the 60s.
Spiritual Ascensión is an album that will be enjoyed
as much by Santana's thousands of fans (for the abundance
of unedited material) as by the general pubic that already
know the original band for its huge hits. |
