By “Tampa” Earl Burton
It isn’t easy to make it in the independent music world. It is a constant struggle to promote, perform, and create new music so that you can stay in the musical ecosystem rather than become a blip on the radar. It is difficult enough to produce one album of material that is outstanding, but now, four albums in, independent artist Tamar Berk is shining once again with her latest album, Good Times for a Change.
Continues Four-Year Run of Excellence
Back in 2021, Berk began this run of excellence. Her first album, the restless dreams of youth, found an artist/performer who was trying to find herself in her work. After starting in Chicago with a band called Starball, Berk was now trying to navigate through the music world as a solo artist, and she did an excellent job with such works as “socrates and me” and “shadow clues” serving as an outstanding introduction to an artist who might not know what she wanted to say exactly, but she was willing to share it with her audience.
In 2022, Berk followed up that debut with start at the end, titled such because of her penchant for wanting to know how stories end rather than how they got there. The album featured more musings from Berk as to her station in life, at once whimsical and introspective, rollicking and moody. “tragic endings” and “your permission” were the stellar efforts of this disc, which furthered Berk’s meditations on herself and her station.
2023 would bring some more difficulties for Berk. The death of her father tremendously weighed that year’s effort, tiny injuries. While there were some up-tempo moments to the disc (particularly “sunday driving”), the overall mood of the album showed how Berk handled the passing of her father. It was an outstanding effort and was worthy of being placed in Berk’s catalog.
“Good Times…” Musically Rich and Diverse
With Good Times for a Change, Berk is finally reaching the point where she has figured out some things. In a recent interview with this writer, Berk said, “I’ve learned that there are two things that affect who you are in the here-and-now…the past, and things that have happened, and the future, of which you don’t know what’s going to happen. I’ve kind of reached a Zen in the center, to be able to focus on the here-and-now more than dwell on the past or worry about the future.”
In doing Good Times…, Berk has not only delivered another quality piece of work, but there is a richness to the music and diversity in tones that exceeds what she did with her previous albums. From the first track on the CD, “Good Impression,” Berk sets a tone that is both lighthearted but also contemplative. The music of “Good Impression” harkens back to the work of the Eighties female rock bands The Bangles and The Go-Go’s, but Berk as always puts her unique twist on the tune.
There are still some of the deeper reminiscences on Good Times… that are exceedingly excellent. Berk remembers her treks back to her hometown in Ohio to be with her parents from her adopted hometown (“Chicago” and “Millenium Park”) while also noting that there are specters out there that are always looking to take you down (“Sorrow is Hunting”). Through it all, Berk maintains that center grounding that is extremely necessary to navigate this thing called adulthood.
If you haven’t checked out her music previously, Tamar Berk is an established Bandcamp artist and has much of her material there and on the streaming services (such as Spotify). You can certainly dive into what might be the best effort of her solo career in Good Times for a Change, but your enjoyment would be heightened by an extended immersion in the entirety of her career.
SOCIAL MEDIA
- Tamar Berk Shines Again with Fourth Album ‘Good Times for a Change’ - September 11, 2024
- Steamy Blues on a Saturday Night: Lightning Express Heat up Skipper’s Smokehouse in Tampa - September 5, 2024
- Jane’s Addiction, Love and Rockets Throw Back to the Nineties at Tampa’s Mid-Florida Amphitheatre - September 1, 2024
