Guitarist and composer Jorge Santana may be best known as the founder of the influential 12-piece Latin rock group Malo -- whose Top 20 single "Suavecito" is an oft-sampled classic -- but that's hardly the whole story. Malo split in 1974 after issuing four fine albums, and Santana (younger brother of Carlos) joined the touring version of the Fania All-Stars for a few years while considering his next move. Compiled by Omnivore's label boss Cheryl Pawelski, Love the Way: The Solo '70s Recordings contains two solo albums cut for Tomato: the self-titled Jorge Santana (1978) and It's All About Love (1979). The first offering is a post-Malo collaboration between Santana and Richard Bean, Malo's founding vocalist who left after their 1972 debut to form the band Sapo. Santana had always enjoyed Bean's talent as a vocalist and as a lyricist. Together they composed all eight tracks on this set. Recorded in bits and pieces over a year or so with a well-chosen band of friends, this date is deeply influenced by the popular emergence of disco and stronger for it. While the basic tracks were laid down live in single takes, fat horn charts, rumbling, bouncing basslines, organic and synthetic drums, and keyboards were all added later, creating a bright, polished sound. The soulful opener "Sandy" is a dancefloor burner with a roiling bassline and snare breaks behind Bean's glossy vocals. Other tracks, such as "We Were There" offer a Latin tinge and Caribbean undertones; it's a compulsive dance jam with the piano delivering salsa montunos atop popping percussion under a sunny melody and joyous vocal. "Oh! Tengo Suerte" nods at Hugh Masekela's "Grazing in the Grass" and former Malo bandmate Luis Gasca's Blue Thumb date For Those Who Chant. All of its songs are top flight.