Delightful cd release Kris Berry in BIRD

Rotterdam’s jazz hotspot BIRD played host on Tuesday night for the cd release presentation of Holland’s newest music attraction: Kris Berry. A decent group of curious music lovers showed up for the beautiful looking singer/songwriter to listen to what she had to offer with her debut album Marbles.

Kris Berry who’s real name is Kristel de Haak, was born on the Carribean island Curaçao in 1982. Berry’s stepdad got her into church singing, while her real father inspired the musician with his natural feeling for rhythm. From here she went on to explore the world of music and started without study but writing, composing and singing purely from the heart.

Different musical ingredients
During Berry’s performance in Bird the audience get’s a lot of different musical ingredients ranging from folk to blues, from jazz to soul and from country to latin. Berry is accompanied by an excellent four piece band including renowned percussionist Claus Tofft (New Cool Collective, Giovanca and Nueva Manteca amongst others), guitarist Paul Willemsen (Ruben Hein and Beans & Fatback), bassist Jet Stevens and Koos Zwagerman on keys and horns.

Kris Berry posseses a beautiful soulful voice that slightly reminds of a lighter incarnation of Dinah Washington as soon as she starts off her Bird performance with the medium rockabilly, Cuban flavoured song ‘Second Chance’. Berry’s timbre represents perfectly the lyrics about a doomed relationship. She also impresses by switching with confidence from the elegant heartfelt ballad Always or Never to a more naughty medium hip moving Holy Joe And The Ferris Wheel to the plodding tunes Crystal Ball, Silver Balloon and Going Somewhere.

Promising
The crowd in Bird seemed to be pleased by Kris Berry’s music, singing along some choruses, reacting vividly on the great percussion explosion in Holy Joe And The Ferris Wheel and seemingly charmed by the singer’s beautiful presence. Berry’s songs have a constant quality standing out with its variety of musical styles played by a great skilled band covering the beautiful and melancholic lyrics sung by Berry in either subtle elegance or pitching down to a bit more rawness.

Though the barefooted performing singer is a delight to look at, Berry sometimes seems a bit uneasy on stage, finding a way to be totally comfortable. But that’s only a matter of time for this beautiful artist to grow. Kris Berry impresses with her promising debut Marbles. Delightful!

Dit artikel verscheen 3 mei 2012 op Jazz010.