Apparently, Nick Drake’s legacy has been open to conjecture lately, enough time having passed to question the late folk singer’s legacy. Concepts such as pink moons, some argue, aren’t meaningful fodder, verging on sophomoric.
Yet even the harshest pedant couldn’t begrudge Drake’s voice—searching, honest and soulful— as the perfect tonal vehicle, regardless of what’s espoused. Taking a vocal flake from this wonderful artist is David Berkeley, a powerful songwriter who’s spent a good chunk of his career in Atlanta.
On new album “Strange Light,” a heady mix of folk gems, touches of Drake melt into a body of work evoking Tracy Chapman—flowing melodies underpinned by soft instruments.
Berkeley’s brooding style is perfectly showcased throughout in the production, which carefully restrains where others may clumsily tread. “Measure of a Man” is one notable example of this working tandem, both from the songwriter and the studio team’s perspective. A plethora of instruments cleanly sweep a lyrically rich path.
The song’s metaphoric use of a card game to muse on the human condition, and not in the country music sense, is powerful. “How to measure a man when the cards are in his hand…it’s harder to fold when it seems like what we’re told to believe is nothing more than they conceive.”
Dice, cards, sports—they’ve been used before as analogous tools, of course, yet never with such introspective refinement. It’s a unique trait, Berkeley’s poetic gift, and flows throughout “Strange Light.” The New York Times and Rolling Stone are among the more coveted admirers of his style, the former going so far as to liken his “melancholic” voice to Drake and another late great, Tim Buckley.
If this album’s a benchmark, there’s every chance that such comparisons will be made to Berkeley himself in years to come.
Please log in to comment