It would be easy to consider this collection of material by Chris Berry as a gimmick because he specializes in an instrument that is on the cutting edge of obscurity, the African Mbira, which is sort of like a glamorized finger piano that you hear plucking away on a million “exotic sounding” records. What makes this disc not become a one trick pony is that a) the Mbira has 21 keys, making it a very diverse and complex instrument, b) Berry has mastered it in the way that Stefon Harris has mastered the vibes and c) the songs themselves rise above the basic Caribbean Cruise Calypso and have a mature and sophisticated edge to them, using the instrument as a part of a whole, and not as a trip to the Tiki Room.
Berry teams up with Abou Diarrassouba/dr, Daniel Moreno/perc, Moussa Camara/djembe and backup singers Awa Sangho/Deja Solis as he handles the rest of the singing, and he makes it work impressively well. Nice little funky grooves are in abundance on ”Many Have Not,” and some sleek reggae permeates “Shadow of a Whip.” A rockish “The Other Ones” is comfortable juxtaposed with a very tender “Sekai” while “Mudzimu We” makes you feel like you’re spinning on a Merry Go Round. The melding of the various percussion sounds is done in an intriguing and inviting style, and while some of Berry’s lyrics can veer towards New Age “Awareness,” what do you expect from this kind of music? Proust? Not bad at all!!!
Kanada System Krush Records
www.systemkrush.com