This truly is a great album. From the rolling drums and organ in the beginning of Jingo, to Carlos holding the last note on Soul Sacrifice, this is a great listen.
1) Jingo: This is a great song, and my third favorite on the album. The drums are perfectly rythmic, and Carlos' guitar playing soars to new heights before the bongos take over. The chanting in the background blends it all together. 5/5
2) Evil Ways: One of Carlos' most memorable songs. The lyrics are a bit repetitive, but Carlos' guitar picks it up with his strumming, and finally a solo in the last fifty seconds. The jumping organ notes keep you interested, and the drums are consistantly great. 5/5
3) My favorite song on this album. My god is it great. Carlos' picking in the beginning with the soothing organ blend perfectly with the beutiful bass holding the rythem. The real prize, however is Gypsy Queen, which starts with about one and a half minutes left. It is Carlos just really bringing it home, with the high pitched tremolo picking and the power chords, and is my favorite thing to listen to on this album. 5/5
4) Oye Como Va: Definatly his most popular song gets you hooked from the first words, "Brrr, Savora!" The chanting in Spanish just seems so right, and Carlos has fun trying to keep everything he plays above the 12th fret.
Just a lot of fun to listen to. 5/5
5) Samba Pa Ti: Just Carlos and some drums. Great slow song. Really the most beutiful song that he has written. It sounds quite like the Allman Brother's Band's "Jessica" with a Carlos touch. It truly is great. 5/5
6) She's Not There: Good song. The organ is great, and the vocals are great too. Not the best song, but alot of fun to listen to. There is a bunch of Carlos just ripping, and kinda repetitive lyrics, even though they are sung so well. 4/5
7) No One To Depend On: Mehhhhh. It's just alright. This is really the low point on the album. Carlos just doesn't sound too hot on this song, and it kind of loses you until the vocal repitition comes in. 3.5/5
8) Open Invitation: Wow! They really pick it back up! This sounds like Boston, Led Zep and some hair bands thrown in! The guitar is rocking, great drums, memorable song, and just perfectly blended.
9) Hold On: Kind of filler-ish. Carlos strums some chords, singer sings, and the the maraca's shake. Not really showing Carlos at his best. 3.5/5
10) Bella: I like this song. It is smooth and soothing. IT is like something from a jazz station, and is nice to listen to if you want to feel relaxed. 4/5
11) Winning: Now this is good! This is real! Carlos really picks it up, with a beutiful bluegrass tinge. The vocals are amazing and great to sing along to, and the hand clapping really adds to the fun. This is a must listen when you are feeling good. Sounds like Zep or someone like them. 5/5
12) All I Ever Wanted: This is a very upbeat song with a great guitar run. The organ is a nice mash to accent the guitar. But when Carlos matches his guitar to exactly what the singer's pitch is, this song becomes MAGIC! It is great! A must listen! 5/5
13) Dance Sister Dance: This whips you right back to Black Magic Woman. It has a variety of mish-mosh sounds that really go good together, and Carlos has a nice little solo towreds the middle. The only bad thing on this song is the vocals. Hearing "Dance! Sister dance!" twelve times in a row, the having it switch to them saying it in spanish is kinda annyoing. Good song however. 4/5
14) Europa: This is another smooth jazz sounding song. It reminds me of Led Zep's "Since I've Been Loving You". It's alot of Carlos running up and down the scale, with the bass being relativly quiet in the background. Near the end, it picks up, but this is a low points on the album. 3/5
15) Everybody's Everything: The hopping organ and brass section, with a nice hooking vocal and bass line makes this song pretty good. This is fun to listen to to put you in a good mood. Carlos really brings the house down in the end, making up for his absence from the beginning. A real eye opener. 4.5/5
16) Soul Sacrifice: The final song on the album is done right. The bongos hook you, and the call and answer with the guitar and organ is fun to listen to. Carlos makes this sound like he and his band just had fun making this song. Good ending to a great album. 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
