Santana - Milagro (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

This is a damn fine collection of work.

W. Melton | Indianapolis, Indiana United States | 01/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the CD I've heard the least about. After checking out some of the reviews here at Amazon, I decided to give it a try. This really is a great collection. I'm a fan of Santana's early work,Abraxas,III,Caravanserai,Live With Buddy Miles,and the early 1980's release,Zebop. Santana plays with fire again on Milagro. All the distinctive qualities one attributes to Santana are found on Milagro. I'll even go so far as to declare this as possibly his best work since the early seventies. Yes, Milagro is even better in my opinion than Zebop. Buy it.You will not be disappointed."

It's a masterpiece

W. Melton | 12/29/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Begining with the moving introduction by the late Bill Graham, this album is almost 72 minutes of emotional music and lyrics. Carlos' guitar is as good as it's ever been."

Beginning of the turnaround

kireviewer | Sunnyvale, Ca United States | 11/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a comeback album for Santana.In the late sixties and early seventies, Santana was a major force in rock music. He was a big innovator, bringing Latin and African sounds to rock. Later he mixed in the San Francisco psychodelic sound and then went on to jazz fusion. Throughout this time, his music was rich, lush and pushed the boundaries. There was a lot of energy and emotion in everything he played.In the mid-seventies and all through the eighties, Santana swtiched to a stripped down, pop sound. Most of his hits were covers of old pop tunes. He had a series of unremarkable lead singers. There was no imagination to the music. It was just a matter of taking pop, adding a few congo drums and a short Santana guitar solo. However, his live shows remained exciting.This album marks the rebound of Santana. He returns to the rich, overlapping sound that made him famous. The first three tracks are long, powerful numbers. The cover of Marvin Gaye's Right On is especially inspired. Also outstanding is Free All the People. There are some weak tracks, like Life Is For Living and Make Someone Happy. But, the CD is almost 70 minutes long and there is enough good music to rate 5 stars.After this, Santana released the amazing live album Sacred Fire, where he took all his old hits and made them fresh and exciting again. Then came the Supernatural, the top selling ablum of 1999 and 2000."

A beautifully played and recorded album

Anthony L. Orant | Palos Hills, Illinois USA | 06/06/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'll keep this short, as most of the others here have stated their case pretty eloquently. This is a GORGEOUS sounding album, with the nuances of each instrument very well presented, and yet, like the Red Sea parting for Moses, when Carlos makes another entrance, they all part way. There are a couple weak moments here ("Life is for Living" and "Free All The People"), but how do you make statements like this without sounding trite?
Focus on the truly spectacular music ("Somewhere in Heaven", "Right On") and the incredible interplay with Carlos and Chester Thompson (keyboards). There's a great spectrum of music here, from the soul and rock of those numbers, to the jazz of "Red Prophet" to the intense Latin music workout "Aqua...".
Take note that the only negative review to this album was by someone who didn't even hear it, only heard the samples provided. Sort of like saying "The Godfather" was a lame movie cuz you saw the trailer."

The Original and Still The Best

Richard Ballard | United States | 02/19/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Early 1970's rock music followed a United States/British axis. Then came Carlos Santana. His first album "Santana" brought Latin influence to rock music. Santana's second album "Santana Abraxas" brought Caribbean (Latin/African) influence to rock music. These albums were high impact rock milestones. Conservative "Time" magazine commented 'Santana has taken flight like a Poseidon missile exploding out of a sea of mediocrity ... a rare poetic delicacy.' Carlos Santana opened the doors -- others followed.The 1992 recording "Milagro" is a showcase for Carlos Santana's guitar virtuosity. Two of the twelve selections on this recording are *showpieces*: 'Somewhere In Heaven' combines guitar, keyboard and vocal solos in a combination with both strength and heart; while 'Gypsy/Grajonca' begins with a quiet flamenco guitar passage before building to a powerful composition featuring strong guitar and rhythm solos. Another four selections are outstanding examples of Carlos Santana's guitar mastery: 'Milagro' (with great rhythm solos); 'Saja/Right On/Your Touch' (with strong rhythm and vocals); 'Make Somebody Happy' (with strong vocals); and 'Free All The People (South Africa)' (with strong rhythm and vocal solos). Finally, 'Life Is For Living' features outstanding rhythm virtuosity combined with guitar and vocal solos, while 'Agua Que Va Caer' features excellent guitar and rhythm solos.Today's rock music fans often don't appreciate instrumental complexity -- they expect complex robotic assemblies. In "Milagro" Carlos Santana combines complexity and precision craftsmanship with Latin warmth -- his *soul* is behind his music. This recording reflects a master musician's twenty-plus years of polishing his craft -- a long road from "my house is dark and my pots are cold". I recommend 'Milagro' most highly."

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