Reach The Light

'Reach the Light' is Andre Berry's fourth CD and in his own opinion, his finest work. 'I think all the songs flow nicely, I think this songwriting is my strongest, the playing my best, and this CD shows a lot of of my musical personality.' This listener agrees. This CD has some woinderful songs on it. The opening number 'With You By My Side' is exceptionally moving with it's bare essence and beautiful melody. From there 'Walking Tall' kicks in and not only shows some hip, modern production and arranging techniques, but also displays some pretty hefty bass playing. Check the bass movement underneath the Sax solo on the outro...very Anthony Jackson-esque. The song 'Estoy Listo' is a fun number from start to finish and displays some great bass work. As explained in the liner notes, 'I Miss You' is dedicated to a friend that passed away and you can feel the emotions Andre must have went through. The lyrics 'You spent your time in this world, I looked away and you were gone...' haunt one's soul. 'Reach the Light' feels like one emerging into a new way of thinking and I imagine the process of this CD did just that for Andre. 'Dust' has a hauntingly beautiful melody that makes you want to play it over and over again and Jeff Kashiwa's sax playing is superb to say the least. 'Welcome To LA' is a fun, club oriented track that halfway through goes into a traffic jam that makes one thankful they don't live in the City of Angels. It must be infuriating sometimes. The CD closes out with two rousing Funk numbers that remind one of P-Funk or Michael Jackson's funkiest numbers. 'Jus' Gittin Started' makes one think of sports and Andre says in his liner notes that he dreams of creating music for NFL films and this song sounds like a perfect one for that. Good luck Andre. You definitely have the tools in hand! The last number 'Stinkin' Up The Joint' is a comical number albeit it funky as the day is long. Listening to the narration in the musical breakdown, one can't help but chuckle. All in all, a really fun CD with a lot to offer musically. Great job Andre and good luck. Franklyn Johnson, The Peabody Underground Gazette.