Sunday, November 02, 2008
A+E, Music, Reviews

DAVID BERKELEY

“STRANGE LIGHT” (STRAW MAN MUSIC)

Berkeley, once based out of Atlanta, moved to Corsica, France, for a few years and is relocating back soon. That makes his Nov. 3 Eddie's Attic show a homecoming gig of sorts, which also serves as a CD release for his new disc. Interestingly, his stark, unplugged folk has distinct European influences that belie his Southern ties.

    Berkeley’s MySpace page lists Nick Drake as the first name under “Sounds Like,” and the former’s sad, innocent croon slots comfortably between the late U.K. legend and the similarly tragic Jeff Buckley. Berkeley studied literature at Harvard and, as with many songwriters with a literary background, his lyrics occasionally overcompensate for less than hummable melodies.

    These songs are beautifully arranged, though, and producer/multi-instrumentalist Brian Deck (Iron & Wine, Josh Ritter), who knows his way around delicate voices like Berkeley’s, layers subtle horns, electric guitar, stand-up bass, piano and percussion around the singer’s images. While nothing here could be considered rock, there’s an early Dylan-ish chug to “Milwaukee Road” and a bluesy slant on the horns of “Sweet Auburn” (about a girl, not the Atlanta neighborhood festival) that bring intensity to the melancholy sound.

     Berkeley’s voice sporadically shifts up to falsetto, and that little catch is enough to tweak the material with an emotional depth that matches the thought-provoking words.  Tracks such as the season-appropriate “Halloween Parade” float like multicolored leaves from autumn trees, shedding their foliage to become as austere as Berkeley’s lovely music. 3 STARS—Hal Horowitz