this is an interesting album to get. i haven't heard very much santana yet but i know what they sound like, and i know carlos has played with john mclaughlin and gang. my expectations for this are relatively high, from both the things i've heard about them and the cool ass cover that looks unsettlingly like Live-Evil. also i think my parents have it on vinyl, like The Wall. TRACK BY TRACK 1 SINGING WINDS, CRYING BEASTS. wow this is chill. i was coming into this expecting to be punched in the face with an overblown guitar solo but this is chill. rhythmic but not as rhythmic as i expected. i really like this, every instrument is doing great at its job. the keys are very cool and so is the wailing guitar that comes in every now and then. 9/10 2 BLACK MAGIC WOMAN / GYPSY QUEEN. this is smoooth. not like that one song though. as was expected the guitar is magnificent and the rhythm is so enticing. the switch up around the 3:40 mark just caught me off guard. oh yeah this is fantastic. 10/10 3 OYE COMO VA. pretty cool. spotify has this as the most popular song on the album which surprises me because it isn't as fantastic as the last album, not that it needs to be. chill salsa with a great guitar. actually this is growing on me the more i listen to it. i should really learn to write these after the song. 9/10 4 INCIDENT AT NESHABUR. it's hard to write about songs like this but this is just fantastic. purely masterful instrumentation, just what i wanted from this album. every instrument sounds incredible and they play together so well. 10/10 5 SE A CABO. exactly what i said for the last track. just masterful instrumentation, straight up jazz fusion a groovy latin foundation. you can't not bang your head just a little. 9/10 6 MOTHER'S DAUGHTER. the vocals aren't really in the way but this would be a cool instrumental album. actually no the vocals are pretty annoying. other than that this track is yet again fantastic. reminds me of a jazzier electric ladyland. if i get past the vocals this could be my favourite track on the album so far. 10/10 7 SAMBA PA TI. smooth and warm sounding, this one is slower than the other tracks. the sound of the organ is so nice i wish it was at the forefront a bit more. great guitar as always. 8/10 8 HOPE YOU'RE FEELING BETTER. by far the heaviest song on the album, and it kicks ass. it's funny that my first two albums on this website both make me sound like a cringy guitar thirsty teenager but that's exactly where this puts me. crazy good guitar. 9/10 9 EL NICOYA. conga outro, not much to say really. it's a minute and a half long. closes the album well i suppose. 6/10 overall an incredibly cool album, with some of the best instrumentation in its genre. very unique for its time too i would argue; not too detached from what john mclaughlin was doing but with a heavier latin influence that set santana apart. i could absolutely see myself returning to this, i imagine it's a great album to just put on and enjoy. overall a 9/10, very pleased with it. damn i can only rate it 4/5