THIS is a a pleasant puzzle. Essentially a stop-gap album, Ceremony is a limited release which will mostly appeal to the sort of fan who has to have everything.

There are five new songs, alongside a curious jumble of re-mixes and new versions of old songs. While old Santana's guitar still sings beautifully, the ghost of a "so what?" floats over this exercise. First up is Why Don't You And I, re-recorded with Alex Band of The Calling doing the lead vocal. Smooth gets a re-mix, while Maria Maria is given a pointless stylistic doing-over by Wyclef. Of the new material, Truth Don Die, with its African rhythms, stands out, alongside Curacion (Sunlight On Water), a typical, and undeniably pretty, piece of Santana mood music. No one should begrudge Carlos his rejuvenated career, especially those with memories of his Seventies' heyday, but this one remains an oddity.

Updated: 10:05 Thursday, January 29, 2004