Folkie Mike Berman Is ‘In the Woods’
In the Woods, Mike Berman’s third full-length album, is a keeper, thanks to his deftly written lyrics and intimate baritone, as well as a complementary band that features cello and fingerpicked and slide guitar. The singer occasionally ventures into folk/rock territory, such as on “Get Me ’cross the River,” but most of this emotionally charged set consists of moody, gently delivered pop/folk.
The California-based Berman, whose songs on this album focus on love relationships and nature, references the great outdoors in the record’s title and the names of five of its 11 songs. Standout tracks include “Tell It to the River,” “Hospital for the Brokenhearted,” and “Hold Back the Sea,” which finds the artist describing a 10-year-old making castles in the sand and proclaiming, “There’s no holding back the sea / The works we build are washed away, we can’t stop the waves, you and me.”
Perhaps the best track is the enigmatic but affecting album opener, the strings-spiced “Honey That Was Me,” in which the protagonist tells his lover, “It was me in the woods keeping watch through the night…all those things you love and fear hiding in the trees…all that time it wasn’t what you thought…honey that was me.”
Mike Berman, Songteller
Album Reviews, In the Woods
from Jeff Burger in Americana Highways
Folkie Mike Berman Is ‘In the Woods’
In the Woods, Mike Berman’s third full-length album, is a keeper, thanks to his deftly written lyrics and intimate baritone, as well as a complementary band that features cello and fingerpicked and slide guitar. The singer occasionally ventures into folk/rock territory, such as on “Get Me ’cross the River,” but most of this emotionally charged set consists of moody, gently delivered pop/folk.
The California-based Berman, whose songs on this album focus on love relationships and nature, references the great outdoors in the record’s title and the names of five of its 11 songs. Standout tracks include “Tell It to the River,” “Hospital for the Brokenhearted,” and “Hold Back the Sea,” which finds the artist describing a 10-year-old making castles in the sand and proclaiming, “There’s no holding back the sea / The works we build are washed away, we can’t stop the waves, you and me.”
Perhaps the best track is the enigmatic but affecting album opener, the strings-spiced “Honey That Was Me,” in which the protagonist tells his lover, “It was me in the woods keeping watch through the night…all those things you love and fear hiding in the trees…all that time it wasn’t what you thought…honey that was me.”