It's a nice pop record. The band is good, great vocals, but lackluster compositions, over-produced cuts. Cool for the first few plays, but certainly not a lot of great playing. Consequently, Santana doesn't play any of these tunes live. What does that say? Mediocre, at best. Get Santana's better discs first.

Although Shango is clearly not up to the old Santana standards, it has also been unfairly maligned. While the bulk of the tracks are relatively lightweight pop, Shango is more listenable and pleasant than many later Santana releases, including Supernatural, and the romantic numbers "Hold On" and "What Does It Take" substantiate themselves by putting some feeling in. "Nowhere to Run" is more innocuous than bad. My favorite is "Oxun," a saga of deliverance but with only ebullient music. Still, the highlight is "Nueva York," in which Gregg Rolie, the keyboard wizard of the group's early days, returns to provide some great Hammond organ flourishes.

I have seen and heard alot of negative reviews over the years about this release. However, "Nueva York" is a classic tune. This piece of music, alone, is worth the purchase. If you are a person that enjoys music and has an ear for Carlos, you may enjoy a few tracks on 'Shango'. The aforementioned, of course, but also, 'Body Surfing', 'Let Me Inside' and 'Night Hunting Time' have some interesting passages going on. I am not a big Alex Ligertwood fan, but, if you can phase out the vocals on a few tracks, the music is there to be be enjoyed.