ROBERT BERRY - stub review added 29th January 2008
Album Review: The Dividing Line (2008)
For fans of: hard rock... music for life, not just for now
Robert Berry, he of the silken John Waite style vocals and unnecessarily skilled musicianship, comes straight from the Alliance project to release a solo album. Robert wrote and played just about everything on The Dividing Line. He probably even made the coffees and emptied the studio bins. He's a talented guy. Make's you sick!
The Dividing Line is hard rocking in a melodious upbeat way. Think of it in the same vein as Boston/Bad English/Giant and you'll have the right idea. A few ballads litter the album and balance the flow beautifully.
Right, let's get the bad bit out the way first... this is an album that takes an age to reveal its brilliance. Some releases are simply awesome straight away. The Dividing Line has taken A LOT of listens to get into. Many people would give up before they learn what this release actually contains. Is it worth the work? Oh yes.
The title track is the most instant song of the whole album. It's never going to go down as the best song ever written, but it's certainly one of the best and most memorable songs of this ilk for a long while. It's really spunky and bounces like a pogo stick in an earthquake.
'Faith' starts with one of the most sublime piano/voice combos you could imagine. The song drifts in as a slow ballad but builds into something far deeper. You can really imagine this song in a film. It would probably make you cry. 'Can't Let Go' has a wonderfully strong 80's keyboard vibe. It's one of those palm tree/beach party tracks that'll make you p*ssed off you're sat in a dreary office in wintry England.
'Young Hearts' is so feel good it's depressing, but in a good way. Another film score style song with... another 80's vibe, it'll make you tap along so hard you'll get blistered fingers. 'Wait' is a moody off-key masterpiece that'll stick in your head and constantly play back when you least expect it.
The Dividing Line is a great album with numerous top notch songs. It loses a few marks for taking so bloody long to get into, but it is definitely worth the effort. This is an album you'll keep coming back to again and again for a long long time.
Check out... The fact Robert played just about every instrument on the album.
Track List:
1. The Dividing Line
2. One Good Man
3. Listen To The People
4. Faith
5. This Life
6. Life Worth Livin'
7. Can't Let Go
8. I Gave You The Best Of Me
9. Young Hearts
10. Wait
11. Life Is On Fire
Label: Frontiers Records
Artist's websites: Robert Berry , MySpace
