Date: Fri, 26 Jul 1996 14:29:25 EDT 
     From: Dez (100702.123@COMPUSERVE.COM) 
     Subject: Shark / Miracle reviewed.

Heidi Berry's Miracle came too. I discovered Heidi through the excellent 'Doing
It For The Kids' compilation Creation did six or so years ago. Her track on
that, 'North Shore Train' was blissful. I bought her album 'Below The Waves' on
the strength of that, and found nothing as good. A year later (1991) and she's
moved to 4AD from Creation. 'Love' is released to public indifference, and
again, it's easy on the ear, but seems all lush arrangements and no substance,
the marked exception being the one cover - Bob Mould's 'Up In The Air' which
proved little bar that Bob's songs are pretty versatile, and that he's a mighty
fine writer. 'Heidi Berry' was more of the same, and now three years on there's
'Miracle'. As I'm writing this, it's drifting along - all very tasteful, very
nice, very so-what. I like her voice, a bit like Joni Mitchell's, but pitched
lower. But there's something very soporific about most of it. It's less cloying
than its predecessor, but there's little edge to it. Perhaps that's not the
point. I'm not expecting thrashing guitars, or Kozalek confessionals, just some
kind of emotional pull. As if to illustrate my point, 'Only Human' is a pared
down piano ballad that really is quite beautiful, and is by far the sparsest
thing here. And the best track, 'Northern Country', has Heidi finally giving us
something raw from inside, backed by a simple acoustic guitar, and some superb
violin from Anne Wood. These two songs are quite superb, but the rest of the
album just drifts by. I reckon if you're a fan, you'll hail this as her finest
album. If like me, you've always found her work, for the most part, frustrating,
there are at least two songs that are worthy of your money.

- Dez


      Date: Tue, 6 Aug 1996 15:51:55 +0100 
      From: Andrew Norman (nja@LEICESTER.AC.UK) 
      Subject: Re: Shark / Miracle reviewed.

 > Heidi Berry's Miracle came too.  I discovered Heidi through the
 > excellent 'Doing It For The Kids' compilation Creation did six or
 > so years ago.  Her track on that, 'North Shore Train' was
 > blissful.  I bought her album 'Below The Waves' on the strength of
 > that, and found nothing as good.

 [Snip] - I agree entirely, and discovered her through the same
 route.  Nothing I have heard since comes within spitting distance of
 "North Shore Train", which is one of the most beautiful songs I have
 ever heard.

--
Andrew Norman, Leicester, England 06/08/96
nja@le.ac.uk, http://www.engg.le.ac.uk/staff/Andrew.Norman/
Teenage Fanclub - Grand Prix