David Berkeley - Oh Quiet World (2020)

“Oh Quiet World” comprises eight original songs and one cover of a traditional Jewish prayer for healing. The “Mi Shebeirach” is a perfect choice for this moment. “This is a song that has meant a great deal to me throughout my life, but I had never considered covering it. I guess it took something like Corona to help bring to the surface that which is deepest in us.” Although the an eerie uncertainty hovers over all of these songs, the collection manages to uplift. “Spring is coming soon,” David sings on the inspiring second track, “Gonna Win the War.” “It slips inside these walls. It’s bigger than these rooms. Yeah, Spring is coming soon.” David’s wife, Sarah Davis, and their kids sing on the album’s sweetest song, “Stars and Rain.” It’s a children’s song played on ukulele reminding us that “all of our hearts are made of sky and earth, stars and rain.” Another standout track is the chantlike “Let the Light In.” David sings eight vocal parts with the ethereal mantra about feeling the wonder in every step.