Reviews
Reviews of ‘Sooner Or Later’
“Her new EP is a strong example of tasteful understatement and intriguing elegance… Her beautiful voice and uncluttered production leaves us with a remarkably relaxed, but intimate recording. Drawing you into its warm, hypnotic and comfortable musical space. Philippa Berry proves with this EP to be a distinctive and original singer and a fine songwriter”.
“If Philippa’s plan was to release just these six songs to whet our appetite for any future songs she may have yet to record then it’s done the job…
The six songs were all composed by Philippa and, while lyrically she has the ability to transport you into her world and her melodies are immediate and pretty, it’s really that voice that sets Philippa apart from most of her contemporaries. While there is nothing radically unusual about her vocals which make you immediately take notice, Philippa relies on her natural, clear voice which, unadorned with any studio trickery, is a pleasant and refreshing change these days.
Philippa proves that you don’t have to adorn the songs with all manner of instruments and sound effects to make her songs sound good, her melodies shine and really she has one of the best voices we have heard coming from this country for many a year… If I have any complaints about this small collection of songs it’s just that. It is too short. There is nothing during the 22 minutes of music on this collection of songs that shouldn’t be there. There is not a second that is wasted or a song where you want to skip to the next track…
In a world that is getting increasingly more stressful by the day we should be thankful that artists still exist that can stop us in our tracks and force us, just by the quiet power and beauty in their voice, to enter their world and forget ours just for a while”.
Malcolm Carter
Pennyblackmusic
www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk
““… ‘Sooner or Later’ is a mature and absorbing work that takes the listener on an introspective but ultimately fruitful emotional journey…“
Philippa’s singing voice is intensely honest and real and the influence of Eddi Reader (think ‘Wings on my Heels’ or ‘Wild Mountainside’) is palpable…
In short, this is a wistful bundle of songs where melancholy meets resilience and hope. ‘Sooner or Later’ begins with a clutch of diffuse memories and turns them into something vital. Philippa Berry has begun to discover an authentic and powerful voice. In the words of ‘Real’, the winter is over – and the best is yet to come.”
(c) WestOcean 2009
Reviews of Philippa Berry
“Guest Performer Philippa Berry’s sparkling eyes, and voice, pure velvet and haunting, mesmerised the audience. She played guitar and sang lovely ballads such as ‘Standing in the Sun’, ‘Rollercoaster’, and ‘Sooner or Later’ (from her new CD called ‘Sooner or Later’). The audience joined in on ‘The Lakes’, written after her first visit to the Lake District. Philippa has the kind of voice that lingers on, long after the song ends – it’s no wonder she was called back for an encore, even though the evening ran longer than usual!”
Review of Write Angle, 19 January 2010
Leah Cohen, Organiser of Write Angle Poetry Cabaret, Petersfield
www.petersfieldwriteangle.co.uk