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If you’ve been around the world of progressive rock
music for any length of time, you will undoubtedly have
heard of Robert Berry. I first became of Berry when he fronted
the band “3” along with Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer. Their
CD is a disc that I still enjoy listening to from time to
time. But then Berry also went on to fill in the shoes of
Steve Hackett in GTR and then David Pack in Ambrosia, all
bands that I like. As an accomplished multi-instrumentalist
Robert Berry has also had a very successful solo career
and he’s back with his latest solo effort entitled The Dividing
Line.
Over the years, Berry has often times displayed his
progressive rock skills, but this time around the music
tends to fall more into the melodic rock vein. Even so there
are plenty of art-rock and proggy embellishments. There
are eleven compositions here, most of which are in the four
or five-minute range. Only the last track runs just a tick
over six. These are songs that rely on melody and traditional
song structure to convey their emotion and meaning. Within
this framework there are slight shifts in time and tempo,
naturally smooth dynamics and even some interesting musical
change-ups but nothing to distract you from the main purpose
of the piece. The arrangements are rich and full, at times
even lush. There is no denying that these are well crafted
musical compositions.
It doesn’t take but a few songs to show, this is a
very accomplished disc and Berry is the consummate musical
professional. The performance, the writing, the arranging
and recording are all first rate. Fans of melodic prog such
as that created by Ambrosia or Alan Parsons or those who
have been following Robert Berry’s career will certainly
appreciate and enjoy his new CD The Dividing Line.
www.jerrylucky.com
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