Zebop! is the 12th studio album by Santana, released on April 29, 1981 by Columbia Records with producers Carlos Santana, Bill Graham and Keith Olsen

After collaborating with Herbie Hancock on the jazz album The Swing Of Delight, Santana returned to the realm of pop-rock for 1981’s Zebop. They even managed to include, albeit slightly, some of their famous Latin sound on some of the album’s tracks, such as “E Papa Re” and “American Gypsy”, with the overall feel of Zebop being that of commercial rock, with Carlos Santana’s guitar playing prominently on most of the tracks.

Santana does a great job of covering Russ Ballard’s “Winning”, reaching No. 17 on the charts, while “The Sensitive Kind” is built in the same way, but with a more radio-friendly structure, which only reached No. 56 on the charts. The Zebop! formula is simple and all the songs have an appeal aimed at a wider and more marketable audience, with “Changes”, “Searchin” and “I Love You Much Too Much” coming across as effective but not over-the-top rock & roll efforts. The album’s controlled rhythms and welcoming structures kept the band alive as the decade wore on, reaching No. 33 in the UK, and the Top Ten in the US, where it eventually went gold.

Santana’s first album of the ’80s opens with “Changes,” which isn’t bad, but melodically sounds a bit out of place in the Santana milieu. “E Papa Ré” that follows is a genuine Santana track, and while it’s fairly mainstream, it’s arguably the best. The good vibes continue with “Primera Invasion,” and while “Searchin” delivers a rather typical radio rock verse, it turns into a catchy chorus.

Sandwiched between two more original tracks, “Tales of Kilimanjaro” and “American Gypsy,” is the aforementioned cover of J.J. Cale’s “The Sensitive Kind,” with the album closing with “Hannibal,” which features some excellent jamming.

Santana is trying to get back to the sound of the early ’70s. The sound here is of course softer and more rounded than in their early years, with the strong influence of Latin-fusion of course being noticeable throughout the music of the album, with the guitar being almost as good as in their best albums, Alex Ligertwood’s vocals excellent, as well as the percussion.

Through this very good album I select “American Gypsy”.
 
Tracklist

Side A
1. Changes 4:33
2. E Papa Re 4:33
3. Primera Invasion 4:22
4. Searchin’ 1:41
5. Over & Over 4:44
6. Winning 3:42

Side B
1. Tales Of Kilimanjaro 3:27
2. The Sensitive Kind 3:27
3. American Gypsy 3:39
4. I Love You Much Too Much 4:39
5. Brightest Star 4:55
6. Hannibal 3:43