Though I have never been a huge fan of dance music, at least as far as pure listening goes, one cannot argue with the role dance music has played throughout the history of rock and roll. Rock and roll evolved out of jump blues (with a tinge of country thrown in. Don’t believe it? Chuck Berry originally wrote Maybelline as a country song and if you listen close, you’ll hear the country beat in the song) which was the prevalent dance music at the time among blacks. When jump blues conquered racial boundaries, it became rock and roll, which became the primary dance music from then on. Think of all the sock hops, teen dance shows on TV, the dance crazes of the ’60’s such as the Twist as well as the hippie noodle dance and the endless twirling that started in the ’60’s with the Grateful Dead and still continues to this day. Think of James Brown, P-Funk and disco, the new wave dances like the pogo, slam dancing, the swing craze of the mid-’90’s – the list goes on. Rock and roll and dance are synonymous.

So why are the rock and roll camps and the house/dance camps so at odds with each other? I believe it started with disco, which was fighting for air time with Foreigner, Led Zeppelin and all of those other cock rock bands that were popular at the time. It definitely divided camps between those who wanted to rock and those who preferred to dance. Since then, for most people, it’s one or the other with simultaneous progression for both types of music. As alternative rock started making big waves in the mid-’80’s, house music was beginning to get popular in Europe and slowly started making its way into the more fashionable cities of the US, such as LA and New York City. Since then, more innovations have happened in the world of dance than rock and roll music, but rock has, in turn, reinvigorated itself by adding elements of dance to mix things up just as Journey does here with his CD, as he seemingly want to unite both camps. While his music is firmly and unmistakably rooted in dance and house, Journey’s music has a definite rock and roll attitude that cannot be denied. While that may be where most of the similarities end, Journey’s music incorporates so many different elements; just calling it dance music doesn’t seem to do it justice either.

 The first song is an interesting opening to this album. The song, Dream On, has sort of a modern R&B based sound but also blends in elements of old jazz such as a muted trumpet and some interesting piano lines. The song then toys with a house beat which adds an interesting effect as the vocals are looped and manipulated. A Better Life, the next song, is straight ahead synth-pop and is quite catchy. I would think that this song would be a definite single as it sounds perfect for the radio and has very good production values. Everything, which follows, is mixed right in next so there is hardly a break between songs. More synth-pop but this song has more of a club, dance-type feel and definitely would get people out on the dance floor by itself, though I can hear that a remix might make it even better. Just A Dream is next and starts out like more of a torchy number with simple percussion on hi-hat and snare and simple piano. Horns come in later and it reminds me of a modern “Fever”. A sax solo seals the deal. Call On Me returns full force to the techno pulse and is pretty much a straight ahead dance number. My ears may be deceiving me but I hear a bit of a song from Grease in the middle of this in the way the meter of the lyrics plays out. Cage starts out interestingly with banging and jungle sounds and some disconcerting keyboard noises until the song morphs into an almost Indian sounding number with off-kilter percussion loops and then morphs again into a more traditional synth-dance number. Very interesting and engaging song though definitely not a single per se. Eye of The Beholder starts out with a lot of classical elements and strings until breaking into a synth pop number reminiscent of something by ’80’s band ABC’s The Look Of Love. The next two songs are definitely for the dance floor and sort of blend into each other. Very slickly produced and something I could definitely hear at clubs as well as on the radio. In all, a very commercial set of songs with great production values.

Though, as I have said above, dance music, house, techno, jungle etc. whatever you want to call it has never really been my thing, I can tell when it’s done well and in the case of this album by Bernie Journey, I can definitely “hear” these songs on the radio for the most part. It’s a refreshing blend of different styles that shows Journey as a very versatile performer and definitely an artist to watch.   

Though I have never been a huge fan of dance music, at least as far as pure listening goes, one cannot argue with the role dance music has played throughout the history of rock and roll. Rock and roll evolved out of jump blues (with a tinge of country thrown in. Don’t believe it? Chuck Berry originally wrote Maybelline as a country song and if you listen close, you’ll hear the country beat in the song) which was the prevalent dance music at the time among blacks. When jump blues conquered racial boundaries, it became rock and roll, which became the primary dance music from then on. Think of all the sock hops, teen dance shows on TV, the dance crazes of the ’60’s such as the Twist as well as the hippie noodle dance and the endless twirling that started in the ’60’s with the Grateful Dead and still continues to this day. Think of James Brown, P-Funk and disco, the new wave dances like the pogo, slam dancing, the swing craze of the mid-’90’s – the list goes on. Rock and roll and dance are synonomous.

So why are the rock and roll camps and the house/dance camps so at odds with each other? I believe it started with disco,. which was fighting for air time with Foreigner, Led Zeppelin and all of those other cock rock bands that were popular at the time. It definitely divided camps between those who wanted to rock and those who preferred to dance. Since then, for most people, it’s one or the other with simultaneous progression for both types of music. As alternative rock started making big waves in the mid-’80’s, house music was beginning to get popular in Europe and slowly started making it’s way into the more fashionable cities of the US, such as LA and New York City. Since then, more innovations have happened in the world of dance than rock and roll music, but rock has, in turn, reinvigorated itself by adding elements of dance to mix things up just as Journey does here with his CD, as he seemingly want to unite both camps. While his music is firmly and unmistably rooted in dance and house, Journey’s music has a definite rock and roll attitude that cannot be denied. While that may be where most of the similarities end, Journey’s music incorporates so many different elements, just calling it dance music doesn’t seem to do it justice either.

 The first song is an interesting opening to this album. The song, Dream On, has sort of a modern R&B based sound but also blends in elements of old jazz such as a muted trumpet and some interesting piano lines. The song then toys with a house beat which adds an interesting effect as the vocals are looped and manipulated. A Better Life, the next song, is straight ahead synth-pop and is quite catchy. I would think that this song would be a definite single as it sounds perfect for the radio and has very good production values. Everything, which follows, is mixed right in next so there is hardly a break between songs. More synth-pop but this song has more of a club, dance-type feel and definitely would get people out on the dance florr by itself, though I can hear that a remix might make it even better. Just A Dream is next and starts out like more of a torchy number with simple percussion on hi-hat and snare and simple piano. Horns come in later and it reminds me of a modern “Fever”. A sax solo seals the deal. Call On Me returns full force to the techno pulse and is pretty much a straight ahead dance number. My ears may be deceiving me but I hear a bit of a song from Grease in the middle of this in the way the meter of the lyrics plays out. Cage starts out interestingly with banging and jungle sounds and some disconcerting keyboard noises until the song morphs into an almost Indian sounding number with off-kilter percussion loops and then morphs againj into a more traditional synth-dance number. Very interesting and engaging song though definitely not a single per se. Eye of The Beholder starts out with a lot of classical elements and strings until breaking into a synth pop number reminiscent of something by ’80’s band ABC’s The Look Of Love. The next two songs are definitely for the dance floor and sort of blend into each other. Very slickly produced and something I could definitely hear at clubs as well as on the radio. In all, a very commercial set of songs with great production values.

Though, as I have said above, dance music, house, techno, jungle etc. whatever you want to call it has never really been my thing, I can tell when it’s done well and in the case of this album by Bernie Journey, I can definitely “hear” these songs on the radio for the most part. It’s a refreshing blend of different styles that shows Journey as a very versatile performer and definitely an artist to watch.   

Reviewed By Scott Homewood

The House lights go down, the audience buzzes with anticipation.  Cue music!  The opening theme, Where Do You Want to Go Today, starts off the act with vibrant energy.  Late Night Show, the new EP from Bernee, rocks with rumbling piano, classic trap-set drum, builds with rolling snare, sweet bass, great vocals, some string surprises, and no annoying talk show host one-liners.  The six new songs were hand-picked by the band from a live set repertoire of over 60 songs.  The result is a broad sample of Bernee’s abilities, from beautiful ballads, to ecstatic rock songs, offering a little style for everyone in the audience.

The harmonious vocals in Bernee are remarkable for their blending and precise timing.  Throughout the show, in songs such as Spinning Wheel; if it wasn’t for the lyrics indicating different perspectives, I don’t think I would have caught on that it was actually Matt Goldberg and Nicole Weepers alternating verses, only to join together for the chorus with Iain Gillaney.  Nicole’s raw alto balances so well with Matt’s tender tenor that one becomes lost in seamless transitions, causing the lyrics in many of their songs to take on multiple states of awareness.  Although, the slides do not resolute in tune quite fast enough for my ear, their style is still irresistible.  One is simultaneously in the shoes of many people all interacting with each other; some seeking love, some remorseful of loves lost, always then returning to a sort of omnipresent bravery embodied by the spirit of the positive advice always offered after each scenario.  The lyrics are powerful and communicate their emotions well to the listener.  Often, it was difficult to write because I would find myself recalling old difficult relationships, odd times that threw me deep into introspection and far from the article.  I even got upset a few times!  However, I never felt lost or abandoned to the whims of the skeletons in my closet, as there was always something in the music reaffirming to pull me back, put those worries at ease, and get me inspired again.  The straightforward stories poise questions to some of our simplest actions that we take for granted.  Perhaps the biggest overall message is awareness of the moment, actually understanding what people are feeling as it happens, instead of distorted hindsight.  The simplicity is deceptive, yet the universal applicability is wisdom of the ages.  For Bernee, there is no happiness without sadness, no victory without struggle, and that is the way it should be; Optimistic, yet realistic.

The ballads on Late Night Show are particularly wonderful.  Perfect orchestration takes the imagination away to a place of solace and remembrance.  The range of careful treatment for delicate notes, to the strong driving power in On My Way ranks Matt Goldberg’s piano up there with great alternative rock bands like Coldplay.  Matt’s vocal range is, in fact, far more consistent and higher then Chris Martin’s- or earlier Ben Folds Five.  Roll On, the last song on the EP, is a stunning masterpiece.  It is the kind of work you’d expect from a band after decades of work.  It is a simplistic melody, but that is the basis for blooming violin and cello parts, and blossoming vocal harmonies.  With subtle grace, Iain Gillaney’s electric bass begins weaving in an out of the string crescendo and what was once a room of a few great artists, suddenly sounds like strings in a concert hall.  Each band member a maestro balladeer, all welling up to the refraining roll on, roll on…  Roll On is my guilty pleasure on this album, as I keep listening to it on repeat while writing.  It is this writer’s expressive hope that more songs such as these epic love songs appear on the complete album.  The band’s technical ability and quick precision is impeccable, amazing even, but it is the soft slow moments, the sustained crystal clear chords, the mesmerizing harmonies, that stop me in the moment, that rock my world and bring me to tearful smiles recalling my own personal hardships and triumphs, as emulated by the brilliant members of Bernee.  It would be well worth the holiday trip to Australia to hear the live version in all its refreshing splendor.  This is a show worth staying up as late as it takes! 

Reviewed By Julian Gorman

EPs are always such a glorious thing. They usually are released by emerging artists and are filled with an artist’s best material. It gives the listener a great sense of what they are about. It also sets the bar for a band whose already-salivating early adopters are left drooling for the first full release. Such is the case for a band like Australian indie trio, Bernee. According to lead singer and mastermind behind the band, Matt Goldberg, the band has a pot of approximately sixty songs to choose from. The six songs selected for Bernee’s 

late night show best embody the band’s piano-driven pop sprinkled with shiny vocal harmonies throughout. With a story behind each work, it makes the songs even more interesting. The opener “Where Do You Want To Go Today?” reminds me of the many great pop songs of Ben Folds like “Fired,” from 2001’s classic Rockin The Suburbs

On the flip side, I would’ve liked to have seen more vocal harmonies carried throughout the EP since Goldberg’s tenor is not as strong as the songs are. Maybe, even share some of the vocal duties. Perhaps even more duets within the songs. This would’ve added that sparkle that the songs are missing. But don’t let that detract you from enjoying the joyous, rollicking piano interludes, the sweet sincerity of Goldberg’s vocal chops and wonderfully clean arrangements.

Bernee means business on their first outing, and brings with it a sense of humor and genuine emotion. A good first outing for both early fans, and hopefully a springboard for more to come.

Reviewed By Michael Morgan

                                      

Bernie Journey’s album, The World In the Eye of the Beholder is a blend of R&B, soul and dance music. At times recalling Prince and Australian up-and-comer Sam Sparro with his slower club beats, Journey’s smooth vocals captivate the listener. On heartfelt second track, “A Better Life” he repeatedly sings, “There must be better life than this” and you believe him wholeheartedly. “Eye Of the Beholder” envelops intriguing beats and fitting lyrics throughout the song, as does most of the rest of his album.

While most tracks blend together with Journey’s vocals and club centric beats, “Just A Dream” switches gears a bit and is the distinguishing track on the album. A fitting jazzier vibe than previous tracks, light percussion and horn features thrive throughout the song and bring welcoming versatility to The World In the Eye of the Beholder.

The nine track album is perhaps best fit to be played in a swanky New York lounge. However, those hoping for diversity will be disappointed. While Journey’s voice is deep and sultry at times, little variation in vocals and tempo leave something to be desired. There is no question of Journey’s talent here, just a wish of something more unexpected encompassing The World In the Eye of the Beholder.

Reviewed By Annie Reuter