PERSONA

Once again, a clear example that progressive rock from South America is full of quality musicians can be seen here, with Alejandro Matos from Argentina. He is a man whose music is still relatively unknown, but he is struggling to share his life and music with listeners from all over the world. His will to create good music, and to share it, has to be rewarded with support from us, the listeners and reviewers. I want to thank Alejandro for his kindness.

"Persona" is his third album, released in 2006. It is important to say that all the music here was created by him, yes, he is actually a one-man band. The album consists of fourteen tracks and a total time of 64 minutes. It is divided in two parts, with an interlude which can be found in track 7, the first part is entitled "Deformación" while the second one is "Revelación".

The album opens with "Dos mil años de tierra" which is an aggressive song with a tense feeling, create by guitars and drums. There is also a nice guitar solo which completes that tension, I mean you may feel nervous while listening to it because it is what the music suggests. The vocals to be terribly honest are in my opinion not his best skill, however it sounds good. This is a very nice first song.

"El camino de la mala suerte" has started when you think you are still in the first track. The atmosphere has again some tension, however this time there is calmer on here. After minute two, drums appear, the bass sound is raw and strong. The final seconds are a bit heavier. "La Plaza Equivocada" has a charismatic sound, the keyboards and guitars are pretty good here. The rhythm is practically the same during the whole song, which is very enjoyable. Worth mentioning is that Alejandro forced his voice until reaching higher notes, pretty good effort.

"La justificación de los nuevos dientes" is a pretty nice track. His use of keyboards is much appropriated here; the "chorus" may be catchy and singable, but very interesting. A guitar solo at half the song, above some nice bass notes. The instrumental last minutes were a good choice. "Pecado de pecar" is a theme whose atmosphere shares again some kind of tension, however, the song in moments sounds pretty catchy and amateurish. Though I like the piano notes, I can say this is one of my least favorite tracks here.

On the other hand, "Guerra de Silencios" has to be one of the highlights of the album. This is the longest composition (more than eight minutes). The mood and the atmosphere is changing while the seconds pass. His vocal performance is again great here. Also, the keyboard sound that he uses, along with the bass notes are all accurate and well placed. The instrumental part where a soft guitar solo appears is excellent. Later vocals return and express unconformity, and in moments the song and his voice becomes heavier and more emotional, inviting the listener to share his protest. There is also a part where he screams Guerra and laughs, an ironical part that can also be well appreciated and enjoyed.

"Fracasos bajo fianza" as I previously said marks the half of the album, is like an interlude. Weird spoken female voice can be listened, and the keyboard sound as background produce again tension and nervous. That sound reminds me a bit of some Fripp's soundscapes. Later guitar enter for some seconds. This is an excellent track in my opinion. Different, but interesting and promising.

"Estatuas de Agua" starts all of a sudden with guitars and Matos voice, the soft sound produced will change later when an aggressive passage appears, when guitars stop being gentle and become heavier. There is a guitar solo after two minutes, and then the rhythm returns as it began, but the last part is emotional, when he says "nadaaa", it does provokes something on me.

"Teléfonos de Negro" is the shortest composition. Starts with some guitar but suddenly fades out and new chords and vocals appear. The lyrics are nice and touching, but the music is simple and repetitive. Not his best at all. "Gritos de Mañana" sounds like the second part of the previous song, though it is actually a new one. The sound and vocal rhythm is actually pretty similar to teléfonos?, so I would have gathered both songs and make it only one. There are nice guitars after the half of the song, but later it returns to its natural form.

"Dormir" has become my favorite track, it caught my attention since the first time I listened to it, but now I really love it. The bass sound helps a lot here, but it is a very complete song where all the instruments act properly and create a wonderful piece. The song may be repetitive, but once you are on it, you won't be able to escape. The atmosphere is dark and that is also because of the synth effects and guitars, along with Matos voice. I like the sounds he produces, while the seconds are passing new figures and textures can be listened. And this continues until the very end, excellent track.

"Las buenas razones del error" is another short track that sounds a bit like some previous ones. This is one thing I would like to mention, it is that in moments I found some tracks maybe unnecessary and repetitive. And now, after fifty minutes it is evident that one can easily note the repetition. "Maldita persona" sounds again like the second part of the previous track, because it has the same structure, it starts with bass notes when you think you are still in the latest track.

The last track is "Dos mil años menos" whose lyrics are excellent. The music is also good but here the message is the best. "Cómo esperar si este comienzo es un final" that phrase emphasizes what life is about. There is another guitar solo which is pretty good, and the piano sound adds an extra flavor. Nice last song.

Persona is a great album that shows the quality of Alejandro Matos, his talent can be appreciated in each and every of his compositions. Though as I said in some parts of my review, there are moments that sound repetitive and maybe unnecessary, some songs that could have been omitted or gathered with others. However, there are also excellent songs that should be appreciated and listened by more people. My final grade is three stars.

Enjoy it!

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