Good Times For A Change. Tamar Berk

Having released three albums in as many years, Tamar Berk's idea was to take a year off from writing and recording. Then things that had happened to her started to affect her deeply in a different way and as happens with many artists, the imagination is triggered, inspiration strikes and the music starts flowing. For some reason it seems to work this way for many artists. As fans, we do not wish harm nor sorrow to our artists in any way, but somehow, I'm sorry to write, we are the ones who tend to profit from their hardship and misery. Good Times For A Change is no exception.

Tamar Berk with 'The Restless Dreams Of Youth' (2021), 'Start At The End' (2022) and 'Tiny Injuries' (2023) released three very nice albums. It is with Good Times For A Change that she seems to have hit the jackpot. She rocks harder, her ballads touch me deeper and the overall impression is of an album that can go with the best of them in 2024.

The album starts with two solid powerpop rock songs. 'Good Impression' is a song that Joan Jett would surely have liked to have written in 2024. The rhythm guitar is extremely powerful and driving. It allows Tamar Berk to make us flow in melodies, instrumental and vocal, with a great guitar solo to boot. The overdubs fly in from all sides it seems and all are spot on. The powerpop is laid on even thicker in the intro of 'That's Not A Lie'. In the lyrics recriminations are flying around, indirect and direct ones. 'That's Not A Lie' is or better, comes across as a psychologically vicious break up song. There's no self-sparing here it seems. The guitar solo cries tears of anger and regret. This is the kind of song that is almost painful to listen to. Listening to the song, it is noticeable how the mood changes from the exuberant intro, to a tense verse and pre chorus. No matter how fine the chorus is musically, the ebullient outgoing intro does not return. The mood changed from glad to sadness, to quote Jim Morrison, and resignation. The result is an impressive rock song with a strong 90s flavour. What a contrast with 'You Trigger Me'. Lyrically it appears to be starting from the same place but is one big, defiant (punk)rocker, while she tells herself she "has to get over it". The song almost trips over its own legs, it's so enthusiastic. Another highlight of the album.

In 'Chicago' she looks back on herself as a young woman living in Chicago and driving back home to Ohio, to mum and dad. She captures the melancholy mood double. The longing to be home at the time and circa looking back on her 25 to 30 years younger self. It is an example of how Tamar Berk presents the different moods on Good Times For A Change. Nearly all songs contain a different mood. From vulnerable to defiant and self-assured. In all songs though the music is so rich. Even if the influences range from 1990s alternative rock to The Kinks circa 1980, Heart in the mid 80s or a Mick Taylor inspired Stones solo, she mixes them successfully into her own musical universe. Just listen to a great song like 'I Don't Mind' or a ballad like 'Sorrow Is Hunting' to hear some of these examples.

For an artist that plays a host of the instruments herself and then add all co-producer Matt Walker plays, it is amazing how many people are involved in the record. A host of guitarists play solos or otherwise distinctive parts, besides musicians adding other instruments like keyboard or strings. Together they make up an album that is extremely rich in sound. Tamar Berk must have had a grand sounding album in mind as she succeeded gloriously. This includes a string laden, beautiful ballad like 'Millennium Park'.

On Good Times For A Change Tamar Berk reaches for the sky and lands on her cloud of choice successfully. Her music on this album has reached new heights and is totally convincing. Listen and you will be convinced as well. As albums always come a lot later than when they were written and recorded, let's hope that good times have arrived! On the basis of this record she has every reason to be quite content.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

You can listen to and order Good Times For A Change here:

https://tamarberk.bandcamp.com/album/good-times-for-a-change