Heidi Berry - Below The Waves '1989/2023 Reissue, Remastered

Tracks list

After the generally good vibes of Firefly, the starker performances on Below the
Waves must have come as a surprise to many of Heidi Berry's fans. Without
changing her excellent singing in the slightest, Berry and her arranger,
Christian Lunch, replaced the light folk-rock of Firefly with a more ambient
and, often times, quite haunting backing. Brother Christopher Berry's fine
acoustic guitar work stays at the center -- but stripped of the band, both it
and her vocals stand out with a gorgeous clarity, accentuated by a soft layer of
reverb applied throughout the disc. Her lyrics are much clearer as well; her
calm detailing of "blood on your hands" in "Little Tragedy" could easily have
been lost in the mix had the song been performed on Firefly. Not everything is
sonically downbeat -- sprightly guitar helps add a slight musical jauntiness to
"Riversong" -- but generally, though, Below emphasizes ruminative lyrics and
calm music. The title track is especially fascinating, with a low rumble of
sound beginning and ending the song on a slightly disturbing note. Violin and
cello appear on a number of songs, deepening the melancholy and sorrowful
undertow of many of them. By no means, however, is the record a specifically sad
one. If anything, Berry seeks to bring out a careful reflection through her
music, as on the lengthy, powerful "Northshore Train," with such slice-of-life
observations as "the electric towers stand in line on water's edge." A number of
tracks favor keyboards or pianos instead of guitar, often to grand effect: The
slow combination of organ swells and bass notes on "Gather All the Hours"
creates a lovely bed for Berry's singing. Ending with the elegant "Dancer,"
Below is an underrated treasure.

Tracklist:
1.01 - Heidi Berry - Ribbons (Glass Remaster) (3:11)
1.02 - Heidi Berry - Below the Waves (Glass Remaster) (3:37)
1.03 - Heidi Berry - Little Tragedy (Glass Remaster) (3:22)
1.04 - Heidi Berry - Legacy (Glass Remaster) (4:17)
1.05 - Heidi Berry - Northshore Train (Glass Remaster) (7:11)
1.06 - Heidi Berry - Gather all the Hours (Glass Remaster) (4:52)
1.07 - Heidi Berry - River Song (Glass Remaster) (3:48)
1.08 - Heidi Berry - All for You (Glass Remaster) (2:52)
1.09 - Heidi Berry - Living Memory (Glass Remaster) (3:10)
1.10 - Heidi Berry - Dancer (Glass Remaster) (5:32)

Related artists