Masterpieces – Nadia Berry – “Diamond in the Rough” (2014)Presented by Half-Moon Music // Hosted by Ashford York
Los Angeles, California, USA
November 22, 2020
In February 3rd, 2014 a record dropped which would change the landscape of an artists career and a bar would be set in the music industry as a whole. The bar was set but it wasn’t based solely on the quality of the work, which was impeccable in its own right but instead based on the variety of it. As a perennial pop superstar switched lanes effortlessly to give us all a record that blended genres completely. Now this isn’t something new in the music world, but never was it done so smoothly and so effortlessly, the music throughout “Diamond in the Rough” is for everybody, it’s all encompassing and it’s all inclusive and yet that wasn’t what it’s creation was about, it was about darkness. It feels like it wasn't made for the audience, but instead it was needed to be made for the artist herself. It was about the most brutal of emotions and how to learn to live with it, it was about devastation in it’s very worst form. It was certainly the darkest record from the extensive back catalogue of Nadia Berry who at this time was truly carving her name as a fundamental solo star and was just about the biggest there was at that time.
Currently Playing – “Stone Cold World” by Nadia Berry”I make friends with people with places to go
A subtle hello and it’s time to hit the road
There’s no stopping the journey you’re on
Couldn’t pull you over, cause I know it’d be wrong
To stop you from going to better place, seeing angel faces
You’re better off with your foot on the pedal
Ride down that open road, out of time like a Rolling Stone
You said you’d be just a little too far to call me on the phone
But just know that you’re never alone
…”That was the opening track, “Stone Cold World” from this remarkable record about sadness, longing and loneliness. It really set the tone for the record and what’s to come, “You said it’s a stone cold world, ain’t it girl” really pulls you in if the mood is right. It’s a record that you can listen to at any time and enjoy it, but it’s best enjoyed on one of those lonely winter evenings. We’ll have Nadia join us for a quick chat about the record in just a few moments, but I wanna delve into the record a little more with you guys before that conversation.
We’ve got fifteen tracks of pure heartbreak, it’s a modern day breakup record and certainly one for the ages. We touched on it before but musically and sonically the record feels so different from what anybody was expecting from Nadia at the time. The use of outstanding guitar work throughout the record is so jarring at first when you go into the record expecting something familiar with the Nadia Berry or GirlSpice stamp on it but I feel like it was intentional from the artist as the album begins with a fucking beast of a guitar intro that wouldn’t be out of place on some of the great modern rock records. The music throughout is moody and dark as hell but tows the line between pop and rock with elements of industrial music and synthwave too. What the record is genre-wise, could be open to anybody’s interpretation but at the possibility of repeating myself. It feels like it was made for everybody.
The music transitions smoothly into the pop-realm after it’s opening track, if the opener served as a gentle indication that this isn’t going to be a straightforward record then the second and third tracks, “Towards the Sun” and “We Found Each Other” work well to calm down her bread and butter pop audience and settle them into the record knowing that there would be something familiar for them too. We’ll go into my thoughts on “Towards the Sun” a little later. Track number four “Make It Right” gets you moving and grooving with it’s indie pop elements and it’s driving basslines, an unexpected option as the lead single from the record but one that added intrigue as to what we were going to get on the full album.
It shows the strength of Nadia as an artist that after four tracks into the album, she’s managed to pull off at least three different distinctive styles in Rock, Traditional Pop and Indie Pop. That is a feat all within itself but the thread throughout is that this is still very much a Nadia Berry record. How she pulls this off is nothing short of wizardry and puts her on a pantheon with an artist like Linda Ronstadt in the same way she was able to weave throughout various genres in her own right while making music that always felt authentic to her own artistic vision and styles.
Track five “Not Enough” follows on from the previous one beautifully, lyrically devastating but musically connected to that similar 80’s feel where you can’t help but move to the music. It’s more sultry and seductive sounding than anything on the record so far, with lyrical content that cries out for passion over nothingness which again lends itself beautifully to that sultry vibe of the music. Something that doesn’t always get highlighted is just how single-minded Nadia can be when it comes to her work, she seems like an artist that knows exactly what she’s doing in the studio and how attain what she hears in her head and along with her producer, get that sound on the record to absolute crisp perfection.
Track number six “Childhood Fears” see’s Nadia erupt in her vocal delivery, shouting over the most badass driving guitar sounds that wouldn’t feel out of place on some modern post-hardcore and metal tracks, again it’s quite jarring but in a good way as it keeps you on your toes and makes you listen to every little element so closely in the hope of picking something new up. The subtlety’s throughout this record are fucking insane too, six years later I’m still stumbling upon elements that I missed previously.
As we arrive at the middle point of the record, we’re given a collaboration with Ryan Williams of the popular band of the day PURE on a fan favourite track titled “Homesick.” We’ve focused on the different musical elements of the record and how it blends through different genres, but this track highlights the fantastic lyrical ability of Nadia even more so, which has been at the highest level on the record so far. We’re gonna play the track for you in just a second, but I implore you to listen out for the second verse;
Currently Playing – “Homesick” (feat. Ryan Williams) by Nadia Berry“Oh, we’re only getting older
A winter night like this only grows colder
And I’ve got a hunger for your warmth
Only your arms could pull me out of the storm
Every rose may have its thorns
But if you defy all the laws then I’ll let down my walls
Pull me inside and we can watch the rain pour
…”It’s magnificence is in the detail of the words, the stories told and the imagery of the lyrics in that track are just remarkable and it’s evident throughout the entire record. Her ability as a songwriter is second to none in this industry and to have done it for as long as she has and to still be able to crank out these incredible songs without repeating yourself is something special, her talented is beyond generational, it’s historical.
Tracks eight, nine and ten set about bringing the tempo down a little and really delving into the content and character study aspect of the record, I’ve always seen it as the first half of the record makes you feel while the second half of the record makes you think whether intentional or not, that’s always the feeling that I got from this on, “Sorry” which is breathtakingly devastating to me, lyrically it has always been on the verge of breaking me, like holy fucking shit, there’s a line in this track that has stuck with me ever since, “I don’t pray to God, I just pray someone’s listening.”, that isolated lyric for me has always been one of my favourites but it’s surrounded by greatness too. I’m just gonna pull up the full thing for you guys to appreciate, here it is, “I’d break the glass and let the demons out to play/Just to let a little light in/I don’t pray to God, I just pray someone’s listening/You know I’m far from religious/But you give me a reason to believe in something.” Like just take a second to let those words sink in. I think anybody that’s ever felt any semblance of love or adoration for someone that has since gone away can relate to that line, I know it still fucking haunts me to this day. Just a masterpiece of poetry in my opinion.
So we’re gonna take a quick detour right now because I believe we have Nadia waiting on Zoom from her studio space to have a quick conversation about the record. Let’s see if we can get this thing going;
Nadia! So good to see you. How are you doing, my friend?Hello, hello! I'm in London at the moment, so doing as well as one can in lockdown. Going a little stir crazy, so it's great to talk with someone.
(laughs)Thank you for dropping by. As you know we’re delving into “Diamond in the Rough” which was truly a seminal record for you. It’s an emotional rollercoaster of a record, could you just delve into what sort of headspace you were in at the time of writing this record?Oh goodness, right. Well. Diving straight in, aren't we?
(laughs) I have to admit, looking back, I actually feel kinda sorry for the girl that I was, it's strange to feel like a protective mama bear of your past self. It was a pretty dark, rough time in my life, but a necessary time, you know? A life altering year that really leads you on a path to the next... 10-20 years of your life, they're the kinda years that you need to shake things up and steer you in the right direction. I was just out of a pretty long term relationship, and I had let that relationship tear everything away from me. Not just emotionally, but so much of my life was tied up in that relationship, that when I no longer had it, everything was gone. The North Hill label, friendships, everything I knew that was home, suddenly I was a lost Brit in the middle of nowhere America and I hadn't a clue what the fuck I was doing with my life. So, the record really reflects a lot of the loss in my life at that time, the loneliness, the anger, the frustration, everything really came out in that album and it's my baby because I think it saved me from going completely crazy.
I’ve gone through some of the tracks already here today and one thing that I can’t get past is how expansive it is musically. It moves through genres seamlessly and at the time I remember it being something so completely out of the blue for you musically while still maintaining your trademark elements. I’ve always admired an artist that knows exactly what they want. Do you put that at the feet of your producer for them to discover or was it very much about your vision and Jared just helping to make that a reality?Jared's an amazing, versatile producer and I won't take away his credit, he knocked it out of the park on this record and it was an honour to make it with him. But I'm
very much a control freak when it comes to my music, so every lyric, every beat or guitar string, I fuss over it and make sure it's exactly what I'm looking for to portray a certain emotion, so it's definitely always my vision and the direction I wanna go in. It was a really important record for finding my sound, and I think diving into all of those genres really helped me at the time to find who I was as an artist.
Lyrically we’ve touched on a couple of the highlights, I’ve already covered my favourite line which is “I don’t pray to God, I just pray someone’s listening.” On “Sorry”. It’s one that has stuck with me over the years and still makes me stop in my tracks when I hear it. What’s some of your favourite lines from the album?Thank you so much! You actually picked one of my favourites already. Hmm, let me think, it's been a few years.
(laughs) I think the opening track, "Stone Cold World" really sums up the record in just one song. The line "Cause the seasons are changing / And the story of my life is rearranging," hits home for me, like that really is the record, it's all about change. There's also "A gypsy soul looking for its destination / One body and a mind in two different locations," on the track "Homesick" that's again all about searching for purpose, a new home, not quite feeling that connection between mind and body yet because everything's so crazy and up in the air still. There's also "Shoulda known looking for forever ain't a race," on "Build a Kingdom" and that's something that I like to remind myself, even today, that life can feel short, but it's really so long and there's so much time to make change and find purpose and meaning and that long-lasting forever type of love, it all comes in good time and there's no way or need to rush it.
A couple of days ago, I actually played the title track “Diamond in the Rough” alongside your new single and it worked beautifully. It got me thinking on listening back to this that this record really saw a big change for you, not in terms of success because that was always there. But in terms of really going personal and raw on your work, it feels from your new single that there could be some sort of sequel vibes in terms of this record and hopefully your new record. Do you think what you learnt and produced on “Diamonds in the Rough” informs what you’re currently working on now?That's so interesting! I'll have to try listening to those two side by side, lyrically though, I can see how they contrast really well, one's very fragile and the other a lot more bold and confident. But yeah, absolutely. I'm not sure what kind of artist I would have become if all of that stuff never happened in my life and the record never came to be, but I have to be grateful for everything and the path that I ended up going on, because I think it's really benefitted my music for the better. I'm not sure I can confidently say where a next record could take me, if that ever comes to fruition, but I do think everything that I do from here on, it'll all be connected back to that life-changing album in some way.
Nadia, I know you’ve got a busy schedule in the studio at the moment. So I thank you for dropping by albeit via the medium of Zoom. I feel like there’s a whole lot more ground to cover, so hopefully we can meet up face to face and really go in-depth on your magnificent career. We’ll let you get back to it, catch you later.Thank you so much for having me and taking the time to review the record, take care and stay safe!
“Let Go” and “Heaven’s Gate” follow suit, both devastating in their own right but for different reasons. The former delving into the familiar feeling of the those stages of the ending of a relationship, packing up your things and moving out and that tricky period of loneliness that follows and the difficulties in not going back. And the latter a heart-breaking love letter to a family member in tribute to her grandparents, the purest form of love and affection there is and it comes across so strongly in this track, really touching stuff that pulls at the heartstrings. It should come with a warning sign because it has the ability to trigger some emotions that are super painful and never truly let up.
The title track is up next, “Diamond in the Rough” and it’s so empowering, it’s an anthem of the modern age and played alongside her latest single, it works really well and I feel like this track shows how Nadia got to where she is in her latest single, “Whatever She Wants (Karma)”. Lyrically it’s a perfect pop song, it’s concise and get’s it’s message across really well. It’s one of those tracks that you will absolutely hear consistently for the rest of your life, it’s perfectly made for compilation records and is possibly one of the most important songs from her career. Such a strong chorus that you can hear entire bars in downtown Los Angeles full of men and women belting this song out during the final moments of an evening. She knows how to make those anthems.
We’re back to the emotions with “Shame on Me.”, perhaps the wordiest track on the whole album as we come towards it’s final stages, but rightfully so as there’s a story to be told particularly with this song. At it’s core, it’s about hurt. The personal gossip column elements are there for those that would prefer to delve into that and interpret the song. I think it’s fairly obvious and there’s always the argument that the intrigue surrounding the lifestyle of these people adds to the music. It’s not an element that I like to focus on because I think the work stands tallest on it’s own merit, it’s bricks and mortar are more important than it’s furnishings and décor. But I can understand why people will look into things to further their listening experience. But at it’s core, it’s a powerfully emotional song about feelings and emotions that almost everybody will experience at some point in their life. That attachment to someone that you can’t seem to let go, that longing for something that just isn’t there anymore. A brilliant track that continues to add so much to the experience even this far into the record.
“Don’t Care” is Nadia Berry’s bread and butter, she could write a million of these which I think is why she’s wise enough to use these sorts of tracks sparingly on a record like this. It adds to the theme throughout and fits in well with this more upbeat period of the record. But she follows that barnstorming pop track by flicking the switch once again and changing it up with the penultimate “Mixed Signals”, with it’s blend of genres, it’s catchy but musically weird enough to really make you listen intently, it grabs you and brings you in and to this day I still can’t figure out how or why.
The final track from the record really puts it to bed with “Build a Kingdom”, it continues that raw lyrical feel throughout the album and has a chorus that will stay with you long after the record is over. It’s an earworm of a track and is a masterstroke by a craftsperson that knows exactly what she’s doing. A strong closer, not the massive emotional ballad that I was expecting would close out the record during my first listen but instead something that will wash over you and really make the whole thing stick with you.
This has been “Diamond in the Rough” and I’m going to leave you with my favourite track from the album, “Towards the Sun”.
Currently Playing – “Towards the Sun” by Nadia Berry“Remember when we used to commit the sweetest sin?
Walking in the sunlight in our summer skin
All we ever needed was a familiar face
A new place, and each other’s warm embrace
We’re all searching for something more
And that’s all I’m living for
…”You can stream the album “Diamond in the Rough” by Nadia Berry, by clicking
HERE