If you are searching for the ultimate combination of the literary
musician then look no further than David Berkeley. Instead of
compartmentalising two of his no doubt many artistic strands, David has decided
to merge the contents of his latest book and album. CARDBOARD BOAT is the
musical offering and hits the market in the format of a ten track record. Its
literary counterpart is the novella THE FREE BRONTOSAURUS which is a collection
of ten interweaving stories running through similar themes and characters. You
will not be surprised to see the blurb stating that both art forms can be
enjoyed separately, although there is extra merit in multi-consuming your
cultural intake. The only comment that can be made here is how the record
shapes up as a stand-alone entity, although packages are available to purchase
both simultaneously.
David Berkeley first crossed my path a couple of years ago
via the release of his album THE FIRE IN MY HEAD and follow up UK live dates as
part of the trio New American Troubadours. The concluding summary from that initial
discovery was of an exceptional lyricist capable of spinning wizardry images
with the beauty of words. With this endearing feature, it was of little surprise
to see him tackle this type of project especially as his back catalogue
consists of both recorded albums and published writing. What can be construed by
getting to grips with this new record is that it can flourish as an independent
album, but perhaps more surprisingly it blossoms more evidently on the musical
side rather than the lyrics.
The ten songs fluctuate in the production intensity ranging
from mellow offerings such as album opener ‘Setting
Sail’ to grander pieces like the title track ‘Cardboard Boat’, which emerges as a mini epic. This latter has a
three part composition involving a soft intimate beginning gradually evolving
into a mid-song instrumental melange before an effective reduced tempo at the
end. Many of the songs are underpinned by the banjo sound with trumpets, cellos
and the usual affray of guitars, keys and percussion forever keeping the sound
fresh and interesting. David’s vocals effectively convey the sincerity of his
story telling and during the first half of the record these are ably assisted
by Sara Watkins, of widespread roots acclaim in the guise of her solo work,
Nickel Creek and the Watkins Family Hour.
Two upbeat songs which impressed in the record’s early
stages were the critically tuneful ‘Coloured
Birds’ and the rousing number with finale pretensions, ‘Last Round’. This last song had almost a shanty feel to it and throughout
the entire record folk singer sensibilities are prevalent. Lyrically each song
is a first person account of a different character featured in the novella.
Grasping this side of the record wasn’t particularly forthcoming so going back
to an earlier claim, perhaps the entirety of this project is the best position
to enjoy its full potential.
However this does not detract from a sophisticated feel to a
rounded and well-constructed album with the ability to impress on its musical
merit. You feel this is just a stopping off point for an artist like David
Berkeley and while his work could veer in a multiple of directions, it will always
possess interesting facets to explore. CARDBOARD BOAT is an album worthy of
checking out, but you won’t escape thoughts of the book. However there is no
rule against just enjoying music rather than continually fully understanding
all aspects of the component intricacies.
www.davidberkeley.com
Source for the book although try your local independent bookshop