Guitarist and composer
Jorge Santana may be best known as the founder of the influential 12-piece Latin rock group
Malo -- whose Top 20 single "Suavecito" is an oft-sampled classic -- but that's hardly the whole story.
Malo split in 1974 after issuing four fine albums, and
Santana (younger brother of
Carlos) joined the touring version of
the Fania All-Stars for a few years while considering his next move. Compiled by
Omnivore's label boss
Cheryl Pawelski,
Love the Way: The Solo '70s Recordings contains two solo albums cut for
Tomato: the self-titled
Jorge Santana (1978) and
It's All About Love (1979). The first offering is a post-
Malo collaboration between
Santana and
Richard Bean,
Malo's founding vocalist who left after their 1972 debut to form the band
Sapo.
Santana had always enjoyed
Bean's talent as a vocalist and as a lyricist. Together they composed all eight tracks on this set. Recorded in bits and pieces over a year or so with a well-chosen band of friends, this date is deeply influenced by the popular emergence of disco and stronger for it. While the basic tracks were laid down live in single takes, fat horn charts, rumbling, bouncing basslines, organic and synthetic drums, and keyboards were all added later, creating a bright, polished sound. The soulful opener "Sandy" is a dancefloor burner with a roiling bassline and snare breaks behind
Bean's glossy vocals. Other tracks, such as "We Were There" offer a Latin tinge and Caribbean undertones; it's a compulsive dance jam with the piano delivering salsa montunos atop popping percussion under a sunny melody and joyous vocal. "Oh! Tengo Suerte" nods at
Hugh Masekela's "Grazing in the Grass" and former
Malo bandmate
Luis Gasca's
Blue Thumb date
For Those Who Chant. All of its songs are top flight.
It's All About Love is a mixed bag.
Bean left the band and was replaced by
Jay McKinnon. It was recorded in New Orleans and San Francisco and produced by
Allen Toussaint.
Santana claims that
Toussaint's presence was limited to basic tracks. The guitarist wrote two tracks and collaborated on one more with percussionist
Yogi Newman (who also co-wrote the highlight in the stellar funky opener "Three Mile Island" with keyboardist
Kincaid Miller).
Santana's tunes miss the mark, though "My Inspiration" -- derivative as it is of
Steely Dan -- offers a fine hook and killer fuzzed out lead guitar fills.
Toussaint's tunes, including the souled-out title cut, are as expected, all strong. "Ain't No" is a strutting, swaggering NOLA funk number and "Feeling Good" is slick, groove-drenched Southern disco with a killer bassline and vocal chants. While it goes without saying that
Love the Way will appeal more to
Malo fans than anyone else, the almost-flawless
Jorge Santana album here is worth the purchase price all on its own. ~ Thom Jurek
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