SENTIMENTS

"Sentiments" is first-rate Spanish jazz-rock that will blow away anyone who loves RETURN TO FOREVER's "Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy". ICEBERG peaked with this masterpiece. The guitar and Moog duels are not only mind-blowing, but worth the price of the CD. In my opinion, the only low-point of the album is the track called "Magic" which sounds more like late 70's Los Angeles-funk/fusion. "Magic" is an okay track, but lacks originality compared to the other epics. Overall, you can't go wrong with this album.

almost 4.5 stars, really!!!

After the superb Coses Nostres, how can one follow up and still appear as on top of their game? Iceberg found the easy (but not so obvious) answer, to make another superb album, and believe me they did. The album actually veers a bit more jazzy in the fusion sense sometimes approaching the over-demonstrative Return To Forever or even a bit Weather Report and still the better Santana (Caravanserai) and Mahavishnu Orchestra. Some moments are so powerful that I cannot help but thinking of Journey's superb jazz-rock debut album with the incredible Ainsley Dunbar on drums.

Right from the opening title track, you know this album will strike all the rights chords if you like the above-mentioned bands, and the Spanish feel is present but nothing obtrusive (hardly any flamenco hints, but more of Rodrigo (Aranjuez) feel. Again Sunyer and Mas take the stage by storm, but the rhythm section is really on top of its game. The only small gripe I might have is that the synths sounds are a bit more "modern", but at least on this album they have been correctly reproduced during the CD transcript. To separate one track and raise it above the rest is simply impossible to this reviewer, because the album is incredibly even, with maybe Magic a bit under par. However, if I must name just one track, listen to the closer Alegries Del Mediterraneo.

A smoking album, just as excellent as the previous Coses Nostres but better rated because of no avoidable sound flaws. Among my top 40 jazz-rock albums, no problems even if I have only known it for the last few months.

Another excellent album by Iceberg. I think this is their best, better than previous one and better than next one, with some influences from early Mahavishnu Orchestra but not a copy. All the pieces are really incredible, with a stunning duel between guitar and keys, specially moog. In every track Kitflus and Sunyé develop their skills at the maximum, proving that they are among the best in jazz. Anyway a very enjoyble album, 4 stars. Iceberg here can fight with any giant band from the '70's in jazz. Recommended. The best pieces are: Andalusia, Andalusia and Ball De Les Fulles, the rest are also very good.

4.5 stars. Another incredible example of Jazz / Fusion from this Spanish band. Their previous album "Coses Nostres" along with this album are really must-haves for Fusion fans out there. They're one of those bands where each member is outstanding on his instrument and isn't afraid to show it.

"Sentiments" opens rather quietly as sounds come and go seemingly in the background. It's building though until the guitar comes to the fore after a minute. "Andalusia; Andalusia" opens with electric piano followed by some scorching guitar. Chunky bass and pounding drums follow. The keys and bass sound great 2 1/2 minutes then the guitar comes in. He's lighting it up a minute later. "A Sevilla" opens with piano and the sound eventually gets fuller. The guitar stars to solo before 2 minutes then the synths take the lead. Back and forth between the guitar and synths the rest of the way. You need to check out the keyboard / drum intro on "Ball De Les Fulles". Fat bass and guitar follow. It settles after 2 minutes, electric piano comes in. Themes are repeated.

"Magic" opens with the sounds of dogs carrying on. They don't sound like real dogs though (haha). A funky beat takes over and it stays funky throughout. Synths and guitar come and go. "Joguines" calms down quickly with acoustic guitar before a minute. Piano, bass and drums help out as well. "Alegries Del Mediterrani" is my favourite track. It reminds me of MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA especially the atmospheric sections. Drums to open then it settles with that atmosphere. Deep bass, drums and electric piano are outstanding here. The tempo picks up after 3 minutes then the guitar joins in. Piano replaces the guitar 4 minutes in as the bass and drums impress big time. The guitar and piano continue to trade off. It settles again 6 1/2 minutes in. Amazing ! More guitar after 7 minutes as drums pound. This is really incredible.

I highly recommend this album from ICEBERG and the previous one as well.

With apologies for lack of originality I will give the same comment as for the previous album 'Coses Nostres': possibly not 5-stars from a total Prog-Rock point of view but certainly a 5-star Jazz-Rock-Fusion album. Probably Iceberg's best album, musically as outstanding as 'Coses Nostres' and yet more polished, especially for what concerns Max's guitar. Max was already a fast player but a bit 'dirty' in his fastest alternate picking runs, and here his improved technique together with the newer hardware and recording capabilities make him sound much smoother even at the same or even faster picking speeds.

As with many fusion records, much of this album relies on soloing displays, but there's still a lot of variation and quality to keep the listener's attention.

The short 'Sentiments' opens with a haunting middle east atmosphere, you could nearly say that Dream Theater took here an inspiration for the beginning of Metropolis Pt. 2 'Home'.

'Andalusia, Andalusia' has a bit of everything, mid-tempo fusion, mediterranean feel, tempo breaks, a shift to samba-like rhythm, alternating and synchronized solos etc. It even feels like some Dixie Dregs tune at moments.

'A Sevilla' displays again great dynamics with a beautiful piano intro and then guitar & keyboards melody, tempo breaks, alternate furious solos etc.

'Ball De Les Fulles' is a mid-tempo track with always amazing drumming, bass and soloing, and a similar pattern follows with 'Magic' which has great solos on a groovy main beat.

'Joguines'is probably the most distictive song, very mediterranean with clean guitar and piano.

Their best album in my opinion although you should also check at the very least their previous 'Coses Nostres', these two are very close to eachother in overall quality.

Madrid would be again the city to receive the talents of the remaining Iceberg quartet, as the group moved on to a third work.Angel Riba, who had cut any instrumental ties with the band, still served them as a manager and was propably the one who arranged the visit of the group at the Sonoland Studios.The album was titled ''Sentiments'' and was released in 1977 on CFE.

Iceberg would now present their sharpest and most dense album so far, still containing the occasional Latin Fusion echoes, but performed in a frenetic and convincing way.More mature than on ''Coses nostres'', their smoky performances remind me of Italians ARTI E MESTIERI, the tracks are fast-paced with impossible-to-follow interactions and breaks into dramatic solos and bombastic parts.They never forget to throw in the appropriate laid-back, Latin-spiced melodies, more apparent during the guitar solos, and the album keeps the listener stuck on his headphones until the very end.Now, there is something called ''composition'' in music and, yes, they did it pretty well in that section too, even if the album is dominated by the solos and interplays.And that's because every note here seems to be appearing in the proper place, the executions are maybe too excessive, technically superficient and fairly virtuosic, but the mass of breaks leads to more down-to-earth passages with atmospheric and melodic injections.Fantastic guitar work by Sune and Josep Mas had eventually become one of the notable figures of Spanish Fusion with his electrified keyboard playing.And a special mention to Jordi Colomer, who's drumming is coming out of a seminar, flawless, solid and very technical.

Very nice Spanish Fusion.Rich in interplays, melodies and atmospheres, containing lovely Latin tunes and some amazing solos.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.

The third studio album release from these maturing artists: all their hard work and previous experimentation have finally paid off with this Jazz-Rock Fusion album that shows the band finally committed to one style of music.

1. "Sentiments" (1:50) wonderfully potent atmosphere that begins to deliver big time with the MAHAVISHNU-like finish. Wow! Great start! (5/5)

2. "Andalusia, Andalusia" (5:37) such great sound coming from the drums, hefty electric bass, and joaguín "Max" Sunyer's Al Di Meola/Corrado Rustici-like electric guitar! It builds and forms, and fills the sonic landscape just like a RETURN TO FOREVER tune. Keyboard maestro José "Kitflus" Mas has a sound palette and style that is to my ears more similar to that of JAN HAMMER than Chick Corea--and there's nothing wrong with that--though his keys are often oddly mixed just behind the other band members. Still, Kitflus and Max keep us mighty entertained with their lightning-fast runs performed in perfect synchrony. Great first full song even if a bit overly RTF. (9.25/10)

3. "A Sevilla" (5:13) another very powerful and dynamic rock-infused funky jazz song that owes much to RTF but also to Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report despite its roots in Spanish folk melodies. The "dirty" sounds of the bass and electric guitar are understandable for giving the song a little edginess but Much of drummer Jordi Colomer's play reminds me of Lenny White but there's also some flashes of Cobham and even Bruford in there as well. (9/10)

4. "Ball De Les Fulles" (5:30) a song whose sound palette for some reason reminds me more of MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA or even GEORGE DUKE than the previous stuff. I'm not a real fan of Max's very "dirty" almost fuzzy guitar tone but I can find no fault with his play. Kiftlus' mastery of clavinet might just be more impressive than his Fender Rhodes play. Primitivo Sancho's bass playing is solid if mixed a little too open on the low end and Jordi Colomer's drumming is as masterful as ever. (8.875/10)

5. "Magic" (6:23) human-made dog barking and other sounds open this one up until a coaches whistle announces the real start to the song: a delightfully funky affair that presents some very engaging melodies amidst some quirky sounds and riffs. The funk bass seems quite reinforced and perhaps even enhanced by Kitflus' clavinet while Jordi's drums hold a pretty steady Billy Cobham-like beat but it's the keys that are definitely the star of this show! Nice, tight, easy-going. (9/10)

6. "Joguines" (3:00) a song to show off Max' prowess on steel-stringed acoustic guitar as well as Kitflus' on piano. There's still electric bass and Oberheim-like strings but it's a nice change up from the fire and smoke of the all-electric stuff.Plus, there are some very pretty lines and playing from both Max and Kitflus. (9/10)

7. "Alegries Del Mediterrani" (9:17) this one takes the listener on a musical journey that is surprisingly smooth and melodic--especially the first three minutes. The band tries to go full-speed RTF in the middle section but ends up crossing more into GEORGE DUKE or UTOPIA territory--except for that amazing drummer: Jordi Colomer is definitely on another plane of consciousness throughout this section! At the six-minute mark the music takes another detour, starting with a rather raw and raunchy bridge that opens up into another more smooth and melodic motif similar to the opening, only this time guitarist Joaquín Sunyer shows up with a laser sword to cut and slash his way through and over the rest of the band--at least until the final minute when everybody returns to the second full-speed motif. Nice finish! (18.5/20)

Total Time: 35:50

Though nothing on this album quite lived up to that pretentious proggy opening title song, the rest is definitely of incredibly high caliber and worthy, as a whole, of mention along side some of the greatest J-R Fuse albums of the mid-1970s. The instrumental virtuosity is all there, now the only step left for these guys is the full integration or "fusion" of the band's four members into one, fully synchronized and entrained unit making music that is holistic. That is what the next album (and, sadly , their last) will put on display. An amazing "arc" of growth to behold: self-awareness and enthusiasm turns into self-discovery and, then, finally, self-realization.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of dynamic and hard-drivin' Jazz-Rock Fusion taking its inspiration from the likes of Return To Forever, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, and other masters of the domain.