Rick Berlin had a taste of the major-label spotlight when, as a member of Orchestra Luna, he was signed to Epic in the ’70s; and in 1982, his Boston-based band Berlin Airlift’s full-length debut album was released on the CBS distributed Handshake Records. Berlin worked in various musical incarnations during the years that followed, and on Me & Van Gogh (Hi-N-Dry), he goes it alone, with just his voice and a piano. The openly gay Berlin is at turns dramatic (the title track, “Criminal”), theatrical (“The Ride,” “A Letter,” “Beerbelly”), reminiscent of Jimmy Webb (“Party Dress,” “Do You Still Love Me?”) and never less than completely original and inspiring.
Twist and turn
- Gregg Shapiro