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PopMatters
THE DANBERRYS DIG INTO THEIR PAST TO SHINE ON “HELPLESSLY HOPING” (INTERVIEW+PREMIERE)
BY MICHAEL BIALIS
After 2020 delayed plans to release their fourth album, the Danberrys are back in 2021 with a covers EP and music videos as the determined duo will soon bring more warmth, soul and songs to Shine’s expanded edition. Finding a way to stop the insanity of 2020 wasn’t easy for Ben DeBerry and Dorothy Daniel, the down-home, genuine, bona fide husband-and-wife singing-songwriting duo who combined their names and talents to become the Danberrys in 2009. During a year gone haywire by the global pandemic, the East Nashvillians watched their baby girl turn 1 year old in May and planned to give birth to a brand-new album around the same time. With moments of bliss and anguish intermingling before some light began to emerge near the end of a long, dark tunnel, they managed to ease their pain by singing other folks’ tunes.
The Danberrys’ soothing rendition of “Helplessly Hoping”, written by Stephen Stills for Crosby, Stills and Nash’s self-titled debut album that was released in 1969, provides more comfort and joy than a cozy quilt during a bleak winter blizzard. The harmonious roots couple, who officially arrived 40 years after the song from that classic album began making an impact as a B-side single, present their exclusive music video premiere of “Helplessly Hoping” today at PopMatters. DeBerry and Daniel, who were married on 14 October 2006, also participated in a detailed email interview that accompanies the video.
First, check out the video, shot near the end of 2020 in Joe McMahan’s East Nashville home studio by their good friend/musician Luke Amelang and, Daniel points out, includes “our great friend and fantastic musician Kyle Tuttle on banjo. Then read on to find out more about the Danberrys, the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young connection, other cover songs they are releasing for an upcoming EP, and projects planned during these vaccine-indoctrination months in which DeBerry, Daniel, and many more musicians are ready to get their comeback shots.
Telling Cover Stories
Asked which member of the Danberrys is the biggest Crosby, Stills, Nash (and Young) fan, Daniel responds, “Well, this question is impossible to answer…ha! Ben introduced me to CSN (sometimes Y) in high school, so we’ve both been huge fans for a long time. Ben would probably keep reading…
Americana Highways
INTERVIEW: Dorothy Daniel Of The Danberrys Talks About Promoting Their Music During COVID
BY JOHN MICHAEL ANTONIO
It goes without saying that the past year has been hard on all of us. It has been especially hard, of course, upon the music industry and more specifically those artists who have had new music releases come out in the past year. Robbed of the normal and best way of promoting their music and generating income (live shows and touring) due to restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, musical artists have had to get creative and come up with new and inventive ways to promote their creations.
Case in point is the East Nashville based husband and wife duo Ben DeBerry and Dorothy Daniel aka The Danberrys, who in many writers’ opinions, myself included, released one of the best albums of 2020 in May of last year, Shine, only to be deprived of the aforementioned means of promotion.
Taking the matter into their own hands in 2021, as they wait like the rest of us for live venues to reopen, they put in motion an aggressive plan to continue to promote Shine with a release of an expanded version of it on July 23rd, while along the way releasing new music in the lead up to it, albeit in a series of cover songs, culminating in the release of an EP of the cover songs on May 7 and a live stream of the performance of the album at Grimey’s on July 22nd.
Recently I had the pleasure of speaking with Dorothy Daniel about all of this and our resultant conversation and the 2021 release schedule for their music is below.
Americana Highways: How have you and Ben kept busy since the release of your album Shine last year?
Dorothy Daniel: Well, we’ve got a soon-to-be 2-year-old daughter so….never a dull moment there! Ha! Also, we spent the winter recording an EP of cover tunes at a friend’s studio in our hometown of East Nashville. Aaaand…we’ve been diligently writing keep reading…
Roots Radio WMOT 89.5
Finally Friday From Home: The Danberrys and Wil Merrell
The Danberrys perform "Cripple Creek Ferry", "The Mountain", "The River is Wide" and "If I Needed You" for WMOT's Finally Friday From Home.
Audiofemme
The Danberrys Sever Toxic Ties With Haunting “Undertow” Video
BY JASON SCOTT
“Why does love telling a lie sound so sincere?” Dorothy Daniel asks on “Undertow,” a song lifted from folk duo The Danberrys’ latest record, Shine. The singer-songwriter sifts through the wreckage of a now-dead toxic relationship. She must do so in order to finally see the truth. The accompanying visual, filmed with videographers Irakli Gabriel and Anana Kaye (behind Duende Vision), rattles with distorted delusions provoked through gaslighting.
“Anyone who’s ever been tangled up with a narcissist knows how the toxic dynamics are played out in a murky underworld of emotional dishonesty and manipulation,” Daniel tells Audiofemme. “It makes you feel like you’re living a haunted life, doubting your experience of reality, and even doubting yourself on a very basic level: did I just see that? Did that actually just happen? Am I crazy?”
In order to fully capture that feeling, the music video uses ghost-like imagery, eliciting an undeniably creepy atmosphere ─ a jarring contrast to Daniel’s ethereal performance. Given free reign by home/land owner Melanie Crosby, the duo traipse across the stunning countryside of Dogwood Farms in Charlotte, Tennessee, Daniel’s hometown. The horse you see appears courtesy of Crosby’s neighbor, Bo Keist.
“I hadn’t ridden a horse in years, so it was a bit nerve-wracking to bring the horse to a full gallop for the first time, especially since we had just met each other,” says Daniel. To be safe, Gabriel and Kaye rode behind in an ATV to achieve many of the close-up shots, the most complicated of the bunch. That evening, in early March, catastrophic tornadoes ripped through the state, uprooting homes and lives, and the remainder of filming was temporarily put on hold.
A couple of weeks later, The Danberrys made their way to a homestead in Cummins Falls to wrap filming. “[That] house has been passed down for generations with most of the personal belongings and furniture preserved in remarkable condition. It felt like the perfect location to get the creepy vibes since the house is well-known to be haunted.”
Collaboratively, the team also honed in on “lots of reflections in water, mirrors, and picture frames” to punctuate the spectral nature of transformation. Daniel leans into pain and vulnerability, paired with equally affecting imagery, and eventually arrives upon a healing, cathartic place keep reading…
Roots Radio WMOT 89.5
How The Danberrys Turned Things Around and Remembered How to “Shine”
BY CRAIG HAVIGHURST
In a world of roots artists who can be self-effacing and self-critical, Ben DeBerry makes a refreshing observation. “I think we’ve made some great records,” he says. “And that was always the point. And now looking back, I'm really proud of that. You can see growth listening through them.” It can’t be bragging if it’s true. The Danberrys do indeed make great records. And the opportunity to make their latest came out of the blue at a critical time. But let’s back up.
The Danberrys, the band led by married duo Ben and Dorothy Daniel, have been East Nashville mainstays for a decade. Their first EP in 2011 and first album in 2013 came off like an especially enlightened fusion of Western hippie jazz, Deep South church house and Music City groove-grass. Topflight local pickers including fiddler Christian Sedelmyer, mandolinist Ethan Ballinger joined Ben’s skilled flatpicking to form the foundation. Dorothy’s warm honeyed voice surged with emotion, while her tambourine lent the band its signature jangle and propulsive syncopation. The couple’s harmonies are pristine and yearning. Listen back to “Rain In The Rock” or “Big Rig” from the debut LP for exquisitely-written, danceable acoustic Americana that stands up instrumentally and vocally with anything you might see on the main stage at Telluride or Merlefest.
The thing about stages though is that to make it in this particular lane, you basically have to be on as many of them as humanly possible, early and relentlessly, year-in, year-out, and that wasn’t quite in the cards for Ben and Dorothy. They slid somewhat obliquely into the band life as adults. They’ve maintained independent careers, he as an IT consultant and she as a CPA. And Dorothy battled disabling stage fright for years. Thus, we fans count them as beloved local artists who take national journeys rather than the national band with a local address that they might have been had things unfolded differently. “I think if we would have started when we were 23, (the road) would have been more of a thing. But by the time we started, we kind of had already established this life where we owned a house. And so it's kind of been a balance,” says Ben. “We didn't move here to play music. We moved here because Dorothy had a job here. And then we made a record. And oh, people like it! And so, we kind of came out of that.”
If talent and acclaim can’t always pay all of the bills, neither can they always sustain your love. Ben and Dorothy struggled in the mid 2010s, bailing on music for more than a year and nearly divorcing before throwing themselves fully into therapy. Yet when we sat down recently on their covered back porch during a gentle autumn rain, happy endings and beginnings were evident. The couple gracefully traded thoughts and smiles about their new album Shine, while their 17-month-old daughter Ollie played inside keep reading…
Guitar Girl Magazine
Dorothy Daniel of The Danberrys: Sound is the Ultimate Healer
BY ENMARIA CUMINSKY
The Danberrys, composed of husband-and-wife duo Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry, are not new to the music industry, but their new album, Shine, comes on the heels of a transformative year. Dorothy has dealt with depression and what she now knows to be PTSD for most of her life, and a debilitating disorder called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (which affects the nerve sensations in her arms and hands) for several years. For a time, Dorothy believed that she would no longer be able to make music. Since then, Dorothy has ventured into alternative medicines like acupuncture and meditation, which has helped her to improve the function of her arms and also helped her deal with past trauma.
Shine is a rich reflection of a year of painful personal growth, using entrancing vocals and catchy guitar riffs to tell abstract stories and evoke powerful emotions in the listener. In her interview, Dorothy talks about her history of stage fright, her experience with alternative medicine, and what she thinks about the Danberrys’ sound.
You’ve spoken about having severe stage fright when you were younger, particularly around being forced to sing at church. Do you still deal with that to the same extent, or have you found ways to work around your fears?
I still get nervous before “big” gigs, but I think it’s mostly due to a healthy level of excitement at this point. I think the best (only?) way to conquer stage fright is to just keep getting up on stage. Eventually, you experience all of your greatest fears coming true (forgetting lyrics, tripping on wires, etc.) and you realize that you’re still alive, and everything is still cool. I’ve also done a ton of inner work to find my sense of confidence and worth as a human being, and that has really changed my stage presence. The more you like yourself, the easier it is to get on stage.
You also deal with depression and PTSD. Do you keep reading…
Roots Radio WMOT 89.5
Finally Friday From Home: Faith Jones and The Danberrys
The Danberrys perform songs from their album 'Shine' from their music room at home in Nashville for WMOT's Finally Friday, October 2, 2020. Set List: "Shine", "Never Gone", "Rain", "Love Conquers War"
Belles and Gals
The Truth Behind the Song #26 – The Danberrys’ ‘Francis’
Welcome to our ‘The Truth Behind the Song’ feature. For this feature, we’ve asked a number of our favourite artists to give us in-depth piece about a song that has a special place in their heart. Today we feature the brilliant The Danberrys, who gives us an insight into the meaning behind ‘Francis’.
Dorothy Daniel:
I started writing “Francis” during a time when I was exploring the life of a Catholic priest from the 16th century named Francis Borgia. Several years ago, I started having visceral experiences of “being” this man during meditation. Those experiences sent me on a deep dive into reincarnation, past lives, esotericism, consciousness, karma, and ultimately into myself. When the lyrics and melody of “Francis” started taking shape, I was integrating those lessons and information into my experience of what I believe is a personal and collective spiritual revolution taking place around us right now.
Francis was known for his humility, but his words and deeds looked more like the product of overwhelming guilt and shame to me. He fervently believed in our unworthiness of God’s love, and he was a pioneer of the self-flagellation practices of the Jesuit priests. He was sainted by the Catholic church, but, to me, it’s clear that he taught from a place of woundedness instead of enlightenment and that he was instrumental in spreading a legacy of spiritual shame and fear.
The song draws an imagined continuum between his life and mine – what if I and/or others have come bearing the karma of his life with the goal of unwinding the toxic legacy of his time. The first verse of the song is meant to paint a parallel between the lives of a young boy and a young girl, having the keep reading…
Music City Mike
11 Questions to a Nashville Musician: The Danberrys
East Nashville musical duo, The Danberrys, have a new record out called “Shine” and it’s one any fan of “funky and folky” Americana music needs to hear. The Danberrys are Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry who are married to each other and have made highly acclaimed music together since 2009. Give a watch and listen to Ben’s swampy guitar and Dorothy’s soulful voice on their video for “The Road” from the new LP. Then play it in your car for full effect!
Of course, there’s no live shows until things clear up, but watch their Facebook page for some occasional streams. Thanks Dorothy and Ben for your 11 Answers. Let’s all get to know The Danberrys!
PS – I couldn’t get away without acknowledging that Ben is the first musician in this series to apparently get up early enough to escape East Nashville for the M-F 11am-3pm pizza at the fabulous Joey’s House of Pizza. Same goes for giving the secret handshake to Dorothy as a fellow CPA!
Where are you from originally, when did you move to Nashville and why?
Dorothy: I was born in Nashville and grew up right outside of Nashville in Dickson, TN. I moved back to Nashville after college for my first accounting job (Yes, I’m also a CPA).
Ben: I was born in Peoria, IL, but also grew up in Dickson (We were high school sweethearts). We broke up for about five years after school, and I was teaching music and living in Cookeville, TN when we ran back into each other. I moved to Nashville to live with Dorothy when we got married four months keep reading…
WSMV News Channel 4 Nashville
The Danberrys Perform “Love Conquers War”
Goldmine: The Music Collector’s Magazine
Indie Spotlight October 2020
BY LEE ZIMMERMAN
Although The Danberrys make a formidable impression with their new album Shine, it’s easy to get distracted by the fact that they don’t prey to any one style in particular. It’s tempting to try and peg the duo simply as Americana, roots, gospel or soul, when in fact they mine a hybrid drawn from all the above. Both Dorothy Daniel and her husband Ben DeBerry cull the traditional sounds gleaned from an upbringing in rural Tennessee, but it’s the way they serve them up in that makes their music such a singular encounter. So while they’re likely to frustrate those who might want to pigeonhole them simply for the sake of expediency, their darker designs and steadfast delivery suggests they’re more much than simply another down home combo. Co-producer and percussionist Marco Giovino draws on an impressive cast of standbys to buttress the sound — among them guitarist Duke Levine, guest vocalist Darell Scott and keyboardist Tom West — but there’s never any doubt that Daniel and DeBerry are the ones truly responsible for putting that stoic swagger in Shine.
Cowboys & Indians: The Premier Magazine of the West
New Music From the Award-Winning Duo The Danberrys
BY DANA JOSEPH
The Americana couple share a life of music, a new record, a home in Nashville, and a baby daughter.
Press materials recommend the Danberrys if you like Shovels & Rope, Little Big Town, Brandi Carlile, Neko Case, and M. Ward. To give you a better idea, the married duo describe their music as a true blend of many classic American rock, folk, and country sounds. “There’s even some funk, some bluegrass — just a smidge of everything,” says Dorothy Daniel, one half of the singer-songwriter duo with husband Ben DeBerry. “It’s true Americana.”
And award-winning Americana at that.
The East Nashville staples recorded their first EP in 2010 with no real expectations or idea of how the industry worked. The EP landed them a few Independent Music Award nominations, including Best EP, as well as an opening spot for Robert Earl Keen at the Ryman Auditorium via a contest put on by WSM 650. “Both of our subsequent full-length albums also received several nominations, including two nods for Best Americana Album,” Daniel says.
The awards are naturally part of the story, but what really makes the Danberrys distinctive is Daniel’s voice. It’s powerful — soulful and ethereal, like she’s channeling something emanating from both earth and sky for a sound that’s equal parts flesh and spirit. People who sing this authentically have usually been through some serious trials and tribulations.
And she has — though you might not keep reading…
Wide Open Country
Video Premiere: The Danberrys Showcase a Collective Journey on 'The Road'
BY BOBBIE JEAN SAWYER
Nashville-based singer-songwriter duo The Danberrys (Dorothy Daniel and Ben Deberry) sing an anthem of persistence on the bluesy folk song "The Road," featured on their recently released LP Shine.
The song's video, which Wide Open Country is premiering today, features a large group of people walking down East Nashville's streets.
"Making this video was possibly the most fun we've ever had. 'The Road' is a statement about our collective journey as human beings, so we wanted to show different 'voices' singing the song in an intimate way, and we also wanted to show all of these same people walking down a road together reminiscent of a soldiers' march. We recruited a large group of friends and family and did most of the shooting in one long day. It was a huge undertaking, but we think we pulled it off," Deberry tells Wide Open Country. "We did the group shots in the street in front of our East Nashville home, so that posed several unexpected challenges. We had this vision of a group of people walking together and forming all kinds of shapes in the street, but that level of coordination took all morning to nail (in the freezing February weather while dodging traffic to boot). Most people had never been on camera before, so there was a lot of liquid courage being passed around, especially for the dancing shots. Even though Dorothy was five months pregnant at the time, she ran around playing cheerleader all day, trying to make everyone feel loose and comfortable in front of the camera by acting completely ridiculous off camera."
Deberry says creating the video was a huge undertaking, but worth every second.
"Once we finally got the group shots we wanted, we headed to the directors' (Anana Kaye and Irakli Ganbriel) home studio in the afternoon to film everyone individually singing the song. We asked everyone to actually sing the song (versus lip-syncing) because keep reading…
Penny Black Music
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
BY NICKY CREWE
Husband and wife duo Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry have their own story to tell. They first met as high school sweethearts, then parted company and pursued their individual musical careers and eventually got back together in 2006, moving to Nashville in 2008. In 2016 they were approached by Brian Brinkerhoff who wanted to work on a new album with them. He encouraged them to co-write the songs. This they did whilst on tour, calling in bluegrass songwriter Jon Weisberger on three of the songs featured.
The recording process reads like a story too. The album was recorded in three days at Dagotown Recorders in Boston, including some live full band recordings. Producer and drummer is the Danberrys’ musical hero Marco Giovino who has worked with Robert Plant and Band of Joy in the past.
The Danberrys tell stories and don’t shy away from sharing some of their own past experiences through their music. Their songs explore both the darker side of life and the hope that has to shine through in order that we can deal with it. As a result there is a powerful and dramatic energy to these songs. It’s no surprise that the title track is called 'Shine'.
Dorothy Daniel’s fantastic voice is showcased on 'Francis', but she also comes into her own when Darrell Scott provides vocal accompaniment on the featured single 'The Mountain'.
The final track, when she keep reading…
The Alternate Root
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
BY DANNY MCCLOSKEY
Inspiration in song is what drives Dorothy Daniel who, along with musical/life partner Ben DeBerry, are the Nashville, Tennessee duo The Danberrys. The tracks on their recent release, Shine, share the same music motivation, Dorothy feelings that ‘I’ve had to reach and grow, to find something bigger than myself to keep going. That’s the kind of music that moves me. I want to hear something that makes me want to get up and keep going––to feel like a warrior’. The Danberrys set a scruffy trance groove as they make a shield of song with “Love Conquers War”, the rough-edged rhythm coursing under Shine’s words and music. A ragged rumble trudges down “The Road”, a heartbeat thump guides “Never Gone”, a triphammer patter teases “Holding the Bag”, and a rolling beat revolves around “Francis”.
A percussive path guides The Danberrys over the soundscape of Shine. The title track opens Shine, a seductive drumbeat pulling into the album as “Rain” hits the album’s exit as The Danberrys close out the album making a clatter to wrap around their joy. Musical gem Darrell Scott joins The Danberrys in the shaggy second line groove of “The Mountain” as a sturdy beat taps a tambourine for “The River is Wide” as Shine falls prey to the flirtatious tug looking for a way out in “Undertow”.
Lonesome Highway
An Interview With Dorothy Daniel Of The Danberrys
BY DECLAN CULLITON
Nashville based band The Danberrys are husband and wife duo Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry. They recently released their latest album SHINE and it has been justifiably earning very positive reviews, including one from our good selves at Lonesome Highway. The album consists of material drawn largely from personal experiences, both painful and often still at the healing stage. Dorothy spoke openly with us recently about the album, the disruption caused to them by the pandemic and intimate matters that she is overcoming.
Despite having its release date put back to late July, your new album SHINE has already been receiving great reviews both in the U.S.A. and Europe. That must be particularly satisfying and uplifting in these uncertain times?
Yes! It really is so wonderful when people connect with what we're doing. We've hit so many bumps in the road with this album release, so reading (most of) the reviews has been uplifting, to say the least. Paul McGee wrote a review for Lonesome Highway that was particularly generous and thoughtful. Not gonna lie ... given the current atmosphere, some of the reviews have made me cry happy tears.
Notwithstanding the glowing reviews, I believe the album was created during a traumatic four-year period for you. It covers a journey from acute depression, through a healing process and appears to arrive at a time when your confidence is at a high point. Is the lack of opportunity to perform the material live at present therefore particularly frustrating?
In a word, yes. keep reading…
The East Nashvillian
The Danberrys Shine in Dark Times
BY RANDY FOX
The Danberrys’ new album, Shine, finds the husband and wife team of Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry able to create the next chapter in their musical journey while finding the way forward during troubled times.
“When we wrote this album we were going through a lot of personal and professional turmoil.,” Daniel says. “I was dealing with anxiety and other problems. Our relationship had been on the rocks, and our band had crumbled and was reforming.”
That’s when the couple received a phone call from Brian Brinkerhoff; the independent manager and producer wanted to executive produce and finance the Danberrys’ next album. “He reached out to us at a time when we really didn’t know how we were going to make another record,” DeBerry says.
While the Danberrys’ first three albums had hewed close to the traditional folk-bluegrass line, the couple wanted a bigger and more expansive sound even though they weren’t exactly sure how to capture it. That’s when Brinkerhoff introduced them to drummer and producer Marco Giovino (Robert Plant’s Band of Joy, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller).
“We were writing really big songs about emotionally charged topics, and they felt like they needed more than just an acoustic guitar,” Daniel says.
“We knew we wanted keep reading…
The Imperfect Fifth
The Danberrys, Shine
BY LEIGHA STUISO
Nashville-based duo, The Danberrys, are back with their third full-length album Shine. The twelve-track collection strays from their traditional sound, but comes full force with all the stops. There is a bit of a dark atmosphere throughout with graceful combinations of rock, blues and folk incorporated. Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry created an enchanting record that you’ll catch yourself playing on repeat. It’s one of those records that every time you listen, you will find new meanings behind the lyrics or different instruments like an electric guitar or drums. The duo spoke about the meaning behind the album, “Shine represents a major shift in our sound, moving away from our acoustic-centric past while staying rooted in our love for the song and the groove. By venturing outside of our comfort zone, sonically and process-wise, we were able to make an organic record that we’re excited for the world to hear.”
Immediately, we are introduced to this repeated idea of looming darkness with the title track. “Sometimes darkness may roam / shine, shine wherever it goes”, reminding us that the dark is only a way to find the light. It could be used as background music for a movie scene where a character is almost just breaking out of their struggles, similar to something you might have heard in the tv series Sons of Anarchy. Similar to “The Mountain”, which was the first single off the record, the themes continue: keep growing from your past, don’t let it take you down. The sound in this track was inspired by New Orleans traditional second-line rhythm and blues.
There are lots of stories incorporated into these songs, especially with“Francis” and “Never Gone”. Daniel’s vocals guide through these compelling narratives, conveying the pain behind the words. “Never Gone” is based on their friend’s father who battled a chronic illness and said goodbye on his own terms, breaking the hearts of his family in the process. Although there are some darker tracks than others, “Love Conquers War” teaches a positive message of wisdom. Not only do the lyrics radiate this message, but the instrumental backs it. With the closing track, “Rain”, Daniel and DeBerry sing together and bring back this theme of worry and darkness. In the end, success comes through deep beliefs and unity. The sound is reminiscent of Margo Price and is easy on the ears. The Danberrys are back and they’re ready to have their messages heard all around the world.
WMOT 89.5 | LISTENER-POWERED RADIO INDEPENDENT AMERICAN ROOTS
The Danberrys Release 'Shine'
BY ANALEE
The Danberrys are Nashville husband and wife duo, Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry. I first heard Dorothy’s commanding voice and Ben’s picking during a Grateful Dead tribute show at the 5 Spot several years back and I was drawn to their sound and pleased to discover their original music. Their new album, Shine was produced by drummer Marco Giovino (Band of Joy, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller) and executive produced by Brian Brinkerhoff and it’s out today.
AnaLee: I know it’s been tricky getting this album out during the pandemic, and that you’ve worked really hard to make that happen, congratulations! I’ve enjoyed all of your previous releases, but it feels like you’ve really come into your own on this album and I think Shine is your best yet. The production, the songs, Dorothy’s voice and Ben’s guitar playing... it all just really works. Tell us about the inspiration behind these songs and a little about making the album.
Dorothy & Ben: It really means so much to us when people connect with what we’re doing. This album is very different from our past work, sonically and process-wise, and it does feel like we’ve come home to ourselves in a way with these tunes. Brian Brinkerhoff approached us about making a record after we released Give & Receive, and his only real stipulation was that we co-write everything together (not something we had successfully done before). At the time, we were venturing through one of the hardest periods in our personal and professional lives, in the process of coming back into the world after taking some time off to heal. Dorothy had been dealing with severe PTSD, and we had recently cancelled a string of shows & had even come close to divorce. Our foundations as a couple and as a band had crumbled, and we were re-building, re-imagining, re-emerging, re-everything. We had a lot of life material to work with for this record, and we used the writing to process our emotions and experiences. There is some darkness on this album, but hopefully you can hear our unwavering hope and faith as well.
Recording the album keep reading…
FOR FOLK’S SAKE
Interview | FFS 5 with Ben DeBerry of the Danberrys
BY JONATHAN FRAHM
Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry are the Danberrys. More than just a clever moniker, the duo are the latest to begin climbing up the Americana ladder. Between their textured instrumentation, fiery vocals, and savvy lyricism, we think that there’s a pretty good chance that they’re bound to be one of the next big things on the roots rock block.
Ahead of the release of the duo’s new album, Shine, on 24 July, DeBerry sat down to take on our ongoing ‘FFS 5’ interview series.
Please tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from and how did you get started in music? Any defining moments along the path to present day?
Dorothy and I both grew up about an hour outside of Nashville in Dickson, TN. We were both into music from a very young age. When I was ten, a music teacher showed up to class with an acoustic guitar, and I was immediately drawn to it. A month later, I got my own guitar and started taking lessons. I never looked back. It’s been an obsession ever since. Dorothy was always a singer, getting coaxed onto stages by her parents and various other adults in her life.
We had a top-notch choral director in high school, Cindy Freeman, who taught us the importance of dynamics and musicality and how to stand apart musically. That education proved to be priceless, and I still remind myself of those concepts whenever I feel like I’m backsliding into some bad habits.
A defining moment keep reading…
ALBUMISM
The Danberrys’ Symbiotic Songcraft Radiates on ‘Shine’ | Album Review
BY STEVEN OVADIA
★★★★½
The Danberrys are a husband and wife country duo—Dorothy Daniel with a voice as attention-grabbing as a finger poke to the neck and Ben DeBerry, a guitar player who always finds the perfect lick without making you feel like you're listening to someone practice. Based upon these facts alone, Shine is a fun, impressive album.
But the two singer-songwriters go beyond solid songs, creating a captivating album that mirrors the work of another famous songwriting duo, a couple of California kids who wound up fronting a little band called Fleetwood Mac. The Danberrys tap into a Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham energy in a powerful way.
It's interesting to see a contemporary band, especially a country one, grab so much of that Nicks/Buckingham vibe. Part of my surprise is because of the nature of that Fleetwood Mac era’s popularity, which has waxed and waned over time. Rumours, Nicks' and Buckingham's second album with Fleetwood Mac, has sold over 20 million units in the United States alone. It's an album everyone either currently owns or owned at some point in their lives. But at the same time, the 1977 album has also spent some time relegated to soft rock or easy listening.
More people keep reading…
AMERICANA HIGHWAYS
Dorothy Daniel Of The Danberrys Talks About Her Struggles, The Duo’s New Album “Shine”, And The Healing Power Of Music
BY JOHN MICHAEL ANTONIO
Dorothy Daniel is a singer-songwriter who along with her husband Ben DeBerry comprises the critically acclaimed Americana duo The Danberrys. An engaging and inspirational figure, recently Daniel and I spoke by phone about her struggles to overcome childhood sexual abuse, stage fright, and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and about The Danberrys’ exceptional new album Shine and the healing power of music. Our conversation, edited for clarity and length, is below.
Americana Highways: You have been very open about having stage fright as a child. How did you overcome it and is it something that you still deal with?
Dorothy Daniel: I think I deal with it a lot better now than I used to. I think all artists have a little bit of stage fright because it’s just part of human nature. Mine was a really debilitating kind, which I found out later was really a result of the PTSD that was caused by me being sexually abused as a child. I overcame it by forcing myself to do something that scared me every day. Even though getting on stage was the scariest thing I could do, I still joined the choir and sang when people asked me to sing at different functions.
When my husband and I got married I was still struggling with it. When we got married he was a very busy local musician around Nashville and he would always ask me to get up on stage and sing with him, which I did, even though it terrified me. And when we started our band and started playing gigs at festivals and other places, even though it mortified me, I still just kept doing it. I think what also helped me overcome it was one day realizing that I am still here, that I am still alive and that people are actually liking my singing. My healing from the abuse has helped me too because as I have healed and grown as an individual, my confidence on stage has grown as well.
I realize now keep reading…
RIFFS AND RHYMES
The Danberrys ‘Shine’ on Their First Album in Four Years
BY ROBERTO JOHNSON
A month into the summer, 2020 is shaping up to be an outstanding year for albums, a worthy follow up to a stellar 2019 that capped off a memorable decade of music. Granted, with a global pandemic and social unrest stirring all around the world, new releases this year arrive under a largely different set of circumstances.
Musicians putting out new records this summer are sailing uncharted waters. Right in the middle of those sweeping tides are Nashville mainstays The Danberrys, the husband-and-wife duo comprised of Ben DeBerry and Dorothy Daniel. The band’s third album, Shine, will be released in the U.S. this Friday, but the path to get to this point has been anything but clear and easy.
Initially slated to drop in spring, COVID-19 altered the course of the band’s original release schedule. “At some point in May, we had to pick a day,” says Daniel. “We couldn’t wait forever. It was going to be crazy no matter when we released it and now is the time to roll with the punches.” They followed through with the album release in Europe and settled on a July date for America. After a long and unforeseeable journey, Shine arrives as a symbol of the new horizons The Danberrys have been pursuing for years, both musically and personally.
Clocking in at 12 tracks and just under 50 minutes, Shine is simultaneously an acoustic tour de force and a gritty roots-rock record. With production and musical contributions from Brian Brinkerhoff, Marco Giovino, Darrell Scott and others, the album hangs its hat on personal storytelling laid over gripping, blues-tinged hard folk. Unlike their previous albums, which were mostly recorded with musicians from their inner circle, the making of Shine occurred entirely with keep reading…
GLIDE MAGAZINE
SONG PREMIERE: THE DANBERRYS DELIVER SLINKY SOUTHERN BLUESY CHARM ON “THE ROAD”
Nashville’s The Danberrys are somehow both charmingly old-world and very much of this moment. The married couple’s rich pastoral blues and muscly folk evoke the big-hearted storytelling of pioneering giants like the Carter Family but could only come now, as a mixed offshoot of roots music’s ever-growing family tree.
In 2009, the two recorded singer/guitarist Ben DeBerry’s original material together on a whim, and The Danberrys were born. More than a decade later, six Independent Music Award nominations, including two nods for best Americana album and one for best EP, punctuate/their résumé. Their 2016 LP Give & Receive earned serious acclaim, and the pair’s fourth album, Shine (out 7/24) sails past the high expectations that ensued. Produced by ace drummer Marco Giovino (Band of Joy, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller) and executive produced by Brian Brinkerhoff, Shine captures the Danberrys’ fiercely guarded independence––and revels in it. Singer Dorothy Daniel’s commanding voice roars low and high––an ideally nuanced partner for DeBerry’s subtly virtuosic guitar playing. For the first time in their career, the two co-wrote every song together, pulling in the help of a third songwriter on a handful of the tracks.
Their unforced creative approach is on triumphant display on Shine, the twelve-song collection reveals a pair of artists putting years of passionate study in bluegrass, blues, funk, folk, gospel, and pop to brilliant use: conversational stories and metaphorical sketches of the natural world rest on beds of complex bluesy folk. “I’ve always loved music that makes you guess what it’s about,” Daniel says. “We want our songs to be vague enough that they could be interpreted to mean different things.”
Glide is proud keep reading…
POPMATTERS
Americana's the Danberrys Navigate the "Undertow" on Thunderous New Single (premiere)
BY JONATHAN FRAHM
Americana's the Danberrys explode in a burst of commanding, bluesy folk-rock on "Undertow", which reflects on a toxic relationship.
Brooding in the reflections of a relationship gone awry, the Danberrys’ "Undertow" sees lead singer Dorothy Daniel take the reins with a fiery vocal performance that makes it a standout song. Her booming vocals hold the arrangement together, surrounded by a swirl of Americana instrumentation that serves to paint a thunderous picture. Alongside vigorous guitar tones courtesy of Ben DeBerry, the duo smoothly slip into a bluesy folk-rock jam akin to the likes of Shovels & Rope or the Old 97s.
The tune comes from the Danberrys’ latest album, Shine. It's the first time in their career that they've co-written every song together. With assistance from producer Marco Giovino (Patty Griffin, Band of Joy) and executive producer Brian Brinkerhoff, the album is chockful of the roots swagger.
Daniel tells PopMatters, "'Undertow' was written at that moment when the rose-colored glasses sort of fall off your face and you're confronted with the fact that someone you've adored and trusted explicitly is actually quite rotten on the inside. That moment the spell is broken, and you realize you've been in the snake pit entangled with a narcissist. The lyrics allude to the almost magically magnetic quality of master manipulators, with their ability to seamlessly pull strings and destroy hearts while lacking utterly in self-awareness. Most of the songs on this album are about hope, making it through hard times, keeping the light on. But this one is just a pure expression of shock and anger at being played the fool."
DeBerry says, "This is one of the few songs on the album where Dorothy's lead vocals were recorded in East Nashville at Doug Lancio's studio. Doug is a heavy-hitting guitar player and producer, and having his energy and input on this album was a true gift. The music for the song was recorded right outside of Boston at Marco Giovino's keep reading…
WHISPERIN AND HOLLERIN
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
Our Rating: 8/10
One of the many delights of HBO's Deadwood series is the music chosen to be played over the closing credits of each episode. This includes swing, folk, blues, gospel and contemporary classics that celebrate the wide-ranging roots and branches of traditional Americana. And this is the self same musical ethos that informs The Danberrys, an Ashville-based husband and wife duo.
Dorothy Daniel's glamorous looks are at odds with the raw authenticity of her vocals. Her voice links very effectively with Ben DeBerry’s robust guitar playing. The sound is electric and twangy in contrast with the acoustic material of their previous three albums.
"We want our songs to be vague enough that they could be interpreted to mean different things", says Daniels although a title like Love Conquers War is fairly unambiguous.
The rousing title track makes for an arresting opening which Daniel, forgetting her pledge to be enigmatic, describes as a daily mantra on how you may "continue to grow and let go of all the things from your past that want to keep you down and keep you from being who you really are in the world”.
Many lyrics apparently touch upon the physical and psychological pain she experienced as a child and the powerful tune The River is Wide ("and hard to cross") alludes most obviously to this trauma.
The record was keep reading…
MORNING STAR
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
BY KEVIN BRYAN
★★★★
THIS is the third full-length album from Nashville-based Americana duo The Danberrys and a more compelling introduction to the couple’s highly spiritual sound would be difficult to imagine.
Husband and wife Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry were once high-school sweethearts and, although their relationship may have gone through a few understandable ups and downs since those far-off teenage days, the natural empathy which exists between the two performers still informs the deeply atmospheric narratives which have become the Tennessee duo’s trademark, prompting comparisons with illustrious musical forebears such as country legends The Carter Family along the way.
Shine marks a distinct musical progression from its bluegrass-dominated predecessors, with The River Is Wide, The Mountain and the life-affirming title track emerging as three of the most accomplished creations here.
RUTA 66 - TIEMPOS de ROCK & ROLL
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
BY EDUARDO IZQUIERDO
Esta pareja de estadounidenses formada por Dorothy Daniel y Ben DeBerry con sede en Nashville nos habían acostumbrado a un sonido acústico que abandonan de manera notoria en este álbum sin que ello los aleje en exceso del sonido de raíces. No hace falta escuchar mucho par a darse cuenta que han añadido a su habitual propuesta sonidos más cercanos al rock y al blues eléctrico. Para ello han contado con el productor Marco Giovino (Buddy Miller, Band of Joy) que ha entendido perfectamente la evolución que el dúo le pedía para sus canciones, algo que explican a la perfección declaraciones como estas: “Shine representa un cambio importante en nuestro sonido, alejándose de nuestro pasado acústico mientras permanece arraigado nuestro amor por la canción y el ritmo. Al aventurarnos fuera de nuestra zona de confort, sonoramente y en cuanto al proceso, pudimos hacer un disco orgánico que nos entusiasma que todo el mundo escuche” . Con ellos ocupándose de todas las canciones no dista mucho la lírica de este trabajo de la apuntada en su exitoso Give and Receive (2016), aunque quizá haya algo más de madurez en su forma de encarar los textos. Buen paso adelante.
AMERICAN SONGWRITER
The Danberrys Bring ‘Shine’ During Dark Time with new Album
BY BRAD CURRY
During a time of such uncertainty and feeling of hopelessness, it’s important to have those close to you surrounding you to ease these feelings. For husband and wife duo The Danberrys, this is a pretty easy feat, considering they spend the majority of their time making music, most recently completing their new album ‘Shine,’ which is being released July 24th in the United States.
This togetherness that the married duo portrays comes without thought but it hasn’t always been easy. “We met in choir in high school but we broke up so all I did for basically 5 years was wrote sad songs on my guitar.”
While the two have obviously fallen back in love, they still have a very different relationship than others. “Being married and performing together was fun at first but when you live with bandmates, it sometimes feels more like work.”
While it may not always be smooth sailing, there’s no doubt that the two create great music. This new album is one that came about through a little bit of luck. “As a musician, you dream of this philanthropist helping you and appreciate what you do and this happened. We were playing a fest in East Tennessee and their happened to be a guy from California that was watching us and he asked the guy who runs the fest if there were any bands that he needed to watch out for and he got the call and really liked our music and wanted to record a record. We were skeptical at first and but asked around and found out he was awesome” says Dorothy.
Through this creation keep reading…
LONESOME HIGHWAY
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
BY PAUL MCGEE
Ben DeBerry and Dorothy Daniel grew up in the Nashville area and were childhood sweethearts before parting during their college years, as life pulled them in different directions. Happily, they reunited some years later and eventually married. In 2011 they released a debut 4-track EP and followed that with their self-titled full album in 2013.
Their original folk, bluegrass, old-time country sound began to develop by the 2016 album, GIVE AND RECIEVE, leading to this new release, which certainly highlights a very rounded, mature set of songs. The distinct vocals of Daniel take centre stage and her delivery on the twelve tracks is faultless. DeBerry provides fine harmonies, and their dynamic is clearly evident on the final song, Rain, which deals with dwelling on the positive and keeping the ever-present dark thoughts down.
Indeed, this is a theme that runs through the album with a message of positivity and not letting the hard times sway you from the righteous path. There is a message of hope and spirituality in these songs and the gospel tinged arrangement on The Mountain (Darrell Scott on guest vocal), looks to a higher power and believing in a bright tomorrow. The soulful shuffle of the arrangement hints at a Bonnie Raitt influence, with a Little Feat groove.
The project was co-produced by Brian Brinkerhoff and Marco Giovino (Band of Joy, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller), who also plays drums, percussion and vibes. He is joined by Neal Pawley (Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes) on guitars, trombone, tuba, background vocals and Duke Levine (Mary Chapin Carpenter, Robbie Fulks, Lucy Kaplansky) who contributes on guitars and mandolin. This A-team is anchored by the superb Marty Ballou on upright and electric bass while the keyboard sound is handled by Tom West, with John Deaderick on pump organ.
Adding the talents keep reading…
COUNTRY MUSIC PEOPLE MAGAZINE
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
BY SPENCER LEIGH
★★★★
It’s a cliché that male rock musicians go on tour and party away while their long-suffering wives stay at home. Maybe that’s true but perhaps some writer should investigate the very different country/folk/Americana world at club level as it seems to me that there are plenty of husband-and-wife acts touring around. I have been impressed with Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen, Maura and Pete Kennedy who work as the Kennedys, and this month the new release from the Danberrys and My Girl The River. Indeed, my favourite buskers are the Ragtag Misfits who are a really good duo and the highlight of shopping in Liverpool One.
The Danberrys are Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry from Cookeville, Tennessee who moved to Nashville in 2008. They certainly shine on this, their fourth album, which is a strong collection of original songs. In nearly every case, the songs feature Dorothy’s powerful voice against some nifty guitar from Ben DeBerry, but there are several guest musicians on the album. Darrell Scott sings with them for The Mountain and some songs are written with bluegrass musician, Jon Weisberger although he is not among the musicians.
The affirmative glow of Shine, telling us to have a positive approach to life and celebrate yourself, is a strong opener and a good mantra but many of the songs are about troubles and troubled individuals. The River is Wide is about the difficulties in life while Undertow contrasts with Shine in that it is about a self-centered individual who is undermining others.
Never Gone is a poignant song about a sick man deciding the best solution is to kill himself. I thought that the anguished Francis was another good song in the same area, although I couldn’t figure out what was going on. In the end, I thought it was addressed to Pope Francis asking him to sort out the problems in the Catholic Church but I’m not sure. I felt the same about Maddie’s Ghost: if you are writing songs from real life, you have to determine how much to reveal.
There is a sensitivity about this album which suggests that the Danberrys do not record their songs unless they are sure that they have a decent melody and arrangement and that the lyrics themselves are saying something. The music is strong if not especially original: for example, I heard shades of Paul Simon’s The Boxer in Holding the Bag, which is no bad thing. Top marks too for Love Conquers War, a song for world peace that ends quite appropriately with one of the most famous of all song titles, We Shall Overcome.
TAKE EFFECT
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
8/10
A Nashville husband and wife duo with a penchant for acoustic sounds, this 3rd album has The Danberrys hitting a career high as they spread their wings into rock, blues and folk territory with the aptly titled Shine.
The pair start the album with the title track, where blues guitars and a hazy atmosphere align with Dorthy Daniel’s soaring pipes, and “Holding The Bag” continues the landscape with shimmering melodies amid the cautious delivery.
In the middle, “The River Is Wide” benefits greatly from playful tambourine as the tune builds into a lush pop-rock anthem with some funk, while “The Mountain” is pure power and melody with expressive singing from Darrell Scott. “Love Conquers War”, one of the album’s best, then offers dynamic instrumentation in a charming, sublime execution of rootsy sounds.
Near the end, “Maddie’s Ghost” moves with a swift pace of warm rock’n’roll, and “Rain” exits the listen Ben Debarry’s strong pipes complementing Daniel on the gorgeous duet.
DeBarry and Daniel create a timeless brand of Americana here, where brass, mandolin, and upright bass from their very capable band help illuminate these tunes that you won’t forget anytime soon.
Travels well with: Sons Of Bill- Oh God Ma’am; Lindsay Lou- Southland
UNCUT MAGAZINE
Album Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
BY TERRY STAUNTON
Country couple's detailed portraits of troubled lives
The Nashville-based husband-and-wife duo of Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry have been fashioning vividly drawn Americana since 2013, and this third full album finds them venturing into deeper, darker chambers of the heart. "Never Gone" tells of a man admitting to lifelong selfishness on his deathbed, thus hurting his family one last time, and "Holding the Bag" maps the uncertain road ahead for a woman who's finally broken free from a controlling beau. The centrepiece is, perhaps, "The River is Wide". with Daniel examining the psychological scars of her own traumatic childhood in a fine balancing act between hard times and hope.
7/10
MUSIC CROWNS
‘Shine’ entertains us with guitar riffs, a catchy tambourine and inspirational lyrics
The Danberrys are a married couple from Nashville, Tennessee.
The duo have been on the music scene since 2010, at the start of their musical journey their songs had a blue grass feel to them but the most recent release is more rock / americana.
‘Shine’ entertains us with guitar riffs, a catchy tambourine and inspirational lyrics delivered by Dorothy Daniel and her country themed vocal performance.
MAXIMUM VOLUME
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
BY ANDY THORLEY
Rating 9/10
Sometimes, I feel it’s my duty on the reviews that I write on this website to tell you the truth.
“Shine”, is the third full length album by Nashville duo The Danberrys.
The band is a husband and wife team Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry and this record is a move away from their traditional acoustic feel to a more fully fledged sound to capture elements of rock, blues, and folk, venturing into a darker atmosphere.
That’s what normal reviews say, right? That’s the sort of thing? And you think: “crikey, the writer knows his stuff,” don’t you?
Here’s the truth. Half of the time, I know that stuff for real. There are bands that I review on this site that I would back my knowledge against anyone’s. The rest of the time, I use material like that above, which is provided for me.
So, here’s what I know, and we’ll start from there, shall we? “Shine” is brilliant. Genuinely superb.
That’s about it, for now. The rest we’ll get to.
The opening title keep reading…
THE ROCKING MAGPIE
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
The Silky Smooth Essence of Darkly Romantic Americana
Although this is their third album I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of husband and wife duo, The Danberrys, but you know me ……. nothing if not open minded and musically adventurous.
YEE and indeed HAW!
Dorothy Daniel hadn’t even opened her mouth when I knew that this album was going to be right up my metaphorical street! Ben DeBerry’s hauntingly strummed guitar made my head pop up like a meerkat; but when Dorothy’s smoky and ethereal vocal slid in like Spring mist I couldn’t do anything other than sit back in my chair and let it all sink in for the next forty plus minutes; without moving an inch.
I-Tunes dubbed this Americana/Blues when I downloaded the CD to my laptop; and I can’t totally disagree, but even that description doesn’t come close to what you actually hear, here. There’s as much Country and Folk as there is anything else, with The Road and Never Gone evoking memories of both Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou at times; but Rain is beautifully harmonious Hill Music that will send a shiver down your spine.
There’s even a Guest Singer in the mix too; none other than Darrell Scott who joins Dorothy on The Mountain which at only four minutes long, has all the hallmarks of an Epic Story; keep reading…
FOLK AND TUMBLE
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
BY GERRY MCNALLY
★★★★
On their latest release 'Shine', Nashville-based husband and wife duo The Danberrys have embraced a new electric sound, yet lost none of their folk roots.
Husband and wife team Dorothy Daniel and Ben Deberry are best known for their old world, acoustic, Americana folk music heavily influenced by the style of the Carter Family. Their third album 'Shine' finds them taking their influence from a more Southern blues base resulting in an exciting new electric sound.
‘Love Conquerors All’, ‘The Mountain’, ‘The River is Wide’, and ‘Rain’ are replete with the influence of old time Americana spirituals and sound as if the lyrics were lifted straight out of The Great American Songbook.
‘Shine’ – with searing blues guitar and soaring vocals is song that carries an upbeat message of striving against adversity – quickly sets the tone for the rest of the record. In a similar vein, ‘The Road’ is also imbued with an inspiring message to never give up.
Co-produced by Marco Giovino (Band of Joy, Patty Griffin, Buddy Millar), the album was recorded in Boston at Dagotown Recorders. Working together as a band, most of the sessions were recorded live in the studio with guest contributions from Duke Levine and Darrell Scott. The resulting mix perfectly captures the energy and feel of the sessions beautifully blending acoustic and electrics instruments together in unison within the melodies.
Melodic harmony soaked country rockers, ‘Never Gone’ and ‘Undertow’ deal with classic themes of loss, hurt and repentance.
With ‘Shine’, The Danberrys have taken a bold step in embracing a new electric sound that mixes the blues with Americana and old time spirituals. The resulting record is an upbeat inspiring listen that shines like a beacon of hope in dark times.
FOLK RADIO
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
BY BOB FISH
There’s a scent of snake oil and elixirs to Shine by The Danberrys. It’s a collection haunted by ghosts. The music feels as though it was born in the swamps, even though residing in Nashville puts Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry a far piece from the snakes and gators. Yet, rather than being a transitional work, Shine is the sound of a band that understands exactly how their sound is evolving.
For a couple with thirteen years of marriage under their belts, they are rediscovering who they are and what makes them tick as a band. Rather than being confined to any one box or category, they fill in several boxes simultaneously. For the first time, they are writing together as a duo. The results expose Daniel and DeBerry as a duo breaking loose of the shackles that come with writing in a vacuum of individuality. They discovered, “Writing is healing – a great purging of the emotions.”
Shine sounds as if it emerged from the delta, a bluesy blast of slide and raw emotion about learning to let go of the ties that hold you back. “You left me here all alone down in the dust feeling my bones. Cut so deep that I can’t see the sizzle of pain pouring out of me.” With the bass drum echoing and backing vocals almost sounding like a siren deep in the mix, The Road suggests there are some things that just have to be done, like it or not, “Nobody’s going to listen to me, nobody’s going to turn their head to see, cause I’ve got no business talking anyhow.”
Their relationship has had its fair share of ups and downs. The couple began dating in high school, breaking up two years into college. Just before the breakup, Ben gave Dorothy a guitar. As she relates, “I was left with a broken heart, a guitar and three chords. So, I just started writing – mostly sad songs about Ben.” With the two keep reading…
MESSENGER NEWSPAPERS
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
BY KEVIN BRYAN
"Shine" is the third full length album from Nashville based Americana duo The Danberrys , and a more compelling introduction to their highly spiritual sound would be difficult to imagine. The husband and wife pairing of Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry were once high school sweethearts and the natural empathy which exists between the two performers helps to inform the deeply atmospheric narratives which have become the Tennessee duo's trademark, prompting comparisons with illustrious musical forebears such as country legends The Carter Family along the way. "The River Is Wide," "The Mountain" and the life affirming title track are three of their most accomplished creations here.
FATEA
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
BY MIKE DAVIES
Their first since 2016's Give and Receive, Nashville duo Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry frame the album with tracks titled 'Shine' and 'Rain'; see what they did there. Marco Giovino in the producer's chair, it's evident from the opening that there's been a musical shift and that old bluegrassy sound has transitioned into something tougher and harder, the title cut being a steady bluesy stomp that calls to mind the snarly prowl of Neil Young's 'Ohio' on a song, drawing on gospel-like lyrics, about finding a way out of the darkness. Giovino providing puttering drums and vibes, 'Holding The Bag' is a musically lighter but still moody piece and again anchored on a lyrics about being abandoned ("standing in the middle of the pieces of a broken life") and left carrying the weight, leading into the loose limbed Southern bluesy guitar groove and clangy percussion of 'The Road', one of three co-writes with bluegrass songsmith star Joe Weisberger.
A multi-character confessional sung by Daniel in the voices of those left alone, including a child refugee, 'Francis' is a slower curl through blues and soul that has hints of Gillian Welch to it while on the walking beat and desert twang 'Never Gone' she adopts the persona of a selfish man seeking forgiveness based on a friend's father who, battling a chronic illness, broke his family's hearts by choosing to say goodbye on his own terms.
Initially sparse and spooked before gathering pace, 'The River Is Wide' provides the centrepiece, a song about the mental and emotional legacy of physical and psychological trauma and, once again, about finding a way to rise out of the darkness it brings. It's followed, in turn, by the funky rhythm title track, Darrel Scott providing harmonies behind Daniel's gospel-infused vocals as she sings about looking for something to hold on to and help climb life's steep path.
'Undertow' (a song about being brought down by a faithless lover, a hungry ghost) rides a tribal thump drum beat and a kind of swampy, bluesy Stevie Nicks groove before keep reading…
FOLKING
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
BY BILL GOLEMBESKI
The Danberrys’ Shine is filled with spooky Americana old time medicine show stuff. This record carves a deep wagon wheel groove, like (the world famous!) Hamlin’s Wizard Oil Company, who brought music and happy times to the masses, and also sold its Wizard Oil, an alleged cure for just about everything.
Well, there’s musical elixir in these tunes, too.
Apparently, this is a departure from a previous acoustic sound. Well, as Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup sang, “That’s All Right” because Shine pulses with Americana dust, which is eerie dust, tumble weed dust, ghost town dust, Turkey Scratch, Arkansas dust, Mark Twain dust, and Moon landing dust. And because of democracy, it’s all about the very same and equally melodic dust.
The title track bounces with Bayou charm, and it’s really nice to know the sound of John Fogerty’s “hound dog chasin’ down a hoodoo” is still alive and well. And thank you to Marco Giovino for his dancing duppy drumbeat.
‘Holding The Bag’ lightens the weight but deepens the depth. An accordion exhales the tune while Dorothy Daniel’s vocals soar like a really decent prayer dipped in okra gumbo.
And then Ben DeBarry ups the raunchy guitar dial on his amp, and ‘The Road’ spits and stings like the wicked words of an Eden serpent’s temptation. Good rock ‘n’ roll keep reading…
KEYS AND CHORDS
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
BY MARINO SERDONS
★★★★½
Ben Deberry en Dorothy Daniel schitteren op hun nieuw americana album. Met ‘Shine’ , hun vierde album, overstijgt het duo uit Nashville definitief de middelmatige massa. Om de sound te onttrekken van de usual country folk, trok het echtpaar van het zuiden naar Boston in het Noorden. Op drie dagen werden twaalf nieuwe songs ingeblikt met een live fullband in de studio. Ondanks de droefheid en harde realiteit zit er grote openheid, spiritualiteit en positivisme verborgen in hun liedjes. Opener én titelsong ‘Shine’ zwalpt op Dorothy’s indringende voice en Ben’s melodieuze (Fender)-gitaar: een dagelijkse mantra als het ware - er is altijd licht na de duisternis. De songs beklijven door een mooie balans tussen gitaar en stem, en vooral hun herkenbaarheid én originaliteit. Sferische melodieën en soft sentiment ontrekken zich aan de klassieke countrystijl. Naar het einde komt de pure country roots wel even explicieter bovendrijven, doch met een hedendaagse twist in muzikale gelaagdheid (‘Maddie’s Ghost’). En ‘Rain’ trommelt als een native folk song op onze hoofden. Een knap einde voor een prachtig album in een schitterend hoesje mét lyrics.
Om het cru te stellen: ‘Shine’ wordt één van de weinige americana/country albums die definitief in mijn collectie blijven. Ik herhaal, dit wordt….kom, speel dit album nog eens…echt moooiii!
One of the best americana albums I ever heard: original, moody, and groovy, endless beautiful and timeless.
THE SPIRIT OF PROGRESSIVE ROCK
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
BY DAVID PEARSON
A husband and wife duo, Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry were high school sweethearts, then split and used that time to hone their musical craft. Dorothy writing music and Ben performing, before uniting in 2006. In 2011, they officially became The Danberrys with the release of the Company Store EP. In 2013, they released their first full-length album of pastoral blues, robust folk, solid Tennessee roots.The 2016 LP Give & Receive
earned more acclaim, and the pair’s fourth album now takes them from their signature acoustic sound to capture elements of rock, blues, and folk, a darker atmosphere to showcase their original songs.
Guest musicians featured on Shine include Duke Levine on guitar and mandolin and Darrell Scott vocals on the album’s first single ‘The Mountain ’. The title track has gloriously moody, guitar-punched swagger. ‘Holding the Bag’ has a sorrowful lightness and storytelling charm. Overall there’s the slightest essence of Lyndsay Buckingham, possibly enhanced by Dorothy’s smokey vocals. An air of sadness is assuaged by life-affirming themes on a thoughtful album of faith and unity. Solid.
MUSICRIOT
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
★★★★
It’s time for the third Danberrys (Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry) album, “Shine”. The Nashville duo has taken four years over this piece and it’s a marked departure from their more acoustic Americana sound. Just a quick look at the album credits tells you, in addition to the usual guitar, mandolin and even pump organ, there’s another palette of sounds created by the addition of trombone, tuba, vibes, drums and percussion, the last three contributed by co-producer Marco Giovino. The innovative way percussion is used throughout the album is a clear indication of the involvement of drummer on the production team. The instrument tally on the album is impressive, but they’re used sparingly in a minimal and stark production. And let’s not forget the superb vocals, harmonies and counterpoint.
The album’s opener “Shine” sets the tone, building from a sparse primal rhythm to a brooding, supernatural mantra. The message is that we have to continue to shine a light to penetrate the darkness that surrounds us. There’s a melancholy thread that runs through the album although the message is ultimately one of hope; from “Shine” and the simple, folky “Love Conquers War” which references the protest movement and hammers the message home with the final line, ‘We shall overcome’, and the uplifting exhortation to self-belief of the Bo-Diddley-inflected “The Mountain”. The variety of the arrangements means that there aren’t too many reference points, although “Undertow” does hint at Fleetwood Mac.
The lyrics are interesting; they’re very subtle and they’re more about pointing you in a certain direction and allowing you to make your own interpretation. Although there keep reading…
GET READY TO ROCK
Review: The Danberrys “Shine”
BY PETE WHALLEY
The third album from Americana husband and wife duo The Danberrys (Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry) is something of a ‘game changer’.
While their previous two outings – The Danberrys (2013), and Give And Receive (2016) – were distinctly acoustic, bluegrass flavoured affairs, Shine sees them push their boat out into deeper waters to spectacular effect, capturing elements of rock, blues and soul.
Opening with some tasteful blues guitar, and a gentle ‘stomp’ rhythm, the vocal melodies adding a Neil Young ‘Ohio’ groove to proceedings, the title track sets the tone – in quality terms – for much of what follows.
Daniel’s honeyed, emotive, and often haunting vocals, are at the centre of everything that is good about Shine. With its wistful blues guitar lines and subtle gentle retro ‘twang’, the haunting ‘Never Gone’, is an instant ‘classic’, Darrel Scott lends some excellent harmony vocals to the album’s first single ‘The Mountain’, and ‘Maddie’s Ghost’ has a driving Mark Knopfler groove, while the delicate duet closer – ‘Rain’ – neatly doffs a cap to the duo’s finger picking acoustic roots.
There’s some great song writing, playing and vocals on display here. So if Americana is of interest to you, do yourself a favour and investigate the Danberrys.
★★★½
THE BOOT
THE DANBERRYS, ‘SHINE’ MUSIC VIDEO [EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE]
BY ANGELA STEFANO
Americana duo the Danberrys are premiering their new music video, for their song "Shine," with The Boot. Press play above to watch.
The title track of the Danberrys' next album, "Shine" takes an honest look at the healing process that follows a childhood trauma, and its music video offers a visual, and metaphorical, take on the topic. The Danberrys -- Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry -- shot the clip on Daniel's family's land in Charlotte, Tenn. Scot Sax directed the video.
"Sometimes, darkness may roam," Daniel sings, a dark melody brewing behind her. "Shine, shine, wherever it goes."
High school sweethearts Daniel and DeBerry went their separate ways for five years, then crossed paths at a Cookeville, Tenn., bar in the summer of 2006. Four months later, the two were married. They moved to Nashville in 2008 and released their debut EP as the Danberrys, Company Store, in 2011. The project earned the pair a nomination at the Independent Music Awards, and was followed by full-length albums in 2013 and 2016.
Shine, the Danberrys' third full-length album, is due out on May 8. The 12-track project -- produced by Brian Brinkerhoff and Marco Giovino and recorded at Dagotown Records in Boston, Mass. -- finds the couple departing from the acoustic sound for which they're known to incorporate elements of blues, rock and folk into their music. The change allows Daniel and DeBerry to take a slightly darker turn and spotlight their lyrics, some of which they co-wrote with Jon Weisberger.
“Shine represents a major shift in our sound, moving away from our acoustic-centric past while staying rooted in our love for the song and the groove," the Danberrys say. "By venturing outside of our comfort zone, sonically and process-wise, we were able to make an organic record that we’re excited for the world to hear."
Learn more about the Danberrys and their upcoming new album at TheDanberrys.com.
ELMORE MAGAZINE
PREMIERE: Again, the Danberrys “Shine” - Duo explores forgiveness in a cruel world
Husband-and-wife duo the Danberrys slow it down and explore the notion of forgiveness, a concept that, with all the craziness in the world today, has crept up in importance in so many lives.
The title track from their newest album, “Shine” lyrically delves into the process of mending pain, and learning to accept the dichotomy of darkness and light.
Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry were high school sweethearts, split for 5 years and pursued musical careers separately until they crossed paths again at a bar in Cookeville, TN. They married four months later. The couple began performing together and moved to Nashville, officially becoming The Danberrys in 2011 with the release of their EP, Company Store, which garnered an Independent Music Awards nomination, as did their second release, Give and Receive, nominated for Best Americana Album and a win for Best Bluegrass Song for “Long Song.”
Dorothy Daniel told Elmore, “‘Shine’ is about finding forgiveness when there has been no justice, no apology, no explanation – forgiveness for the sake of releasing yourself. It’s about journeying steadfastly towards the tiny seed of light within and setting it on fire. The lyrics reflect the hard-earned skill of existing in more than one place within yourself at once, learning to accept and even embrace the dichotomy of darkness and light.”
Directed by Scot Sax and filmed on Dorothy Daniel’s family’s land in Charlotte, TN, the music video is about finding forgiveness when there has been no justice, no apology, no explanation.
AMERICANA UK
Track Feature “The Mountain”
BY JONATHAN AIRD
Husband and wife duo, Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry go back a long way – they were high school sweethearts, but split and followed their own paths for five years. Dorothy Daniel wrote her own music, Ben DeBerry played in a number of local bands. When their paths crossed again they picked up some stitches and, well the rest is history.
‘The Mountain‘ is the lead single from the duo’s new album ‘Shine‘, The Danberrys third full-length album. It sees them moving their musical dial away from an acoustic sound to one with a solid soul of rock.
AMERICAN SONGWRITER
The Danberrys Welcome New Writing Experience for “The Mountain”
BY MACIE BENNETT
Nashville Americana duo The Danberrys are leaping outside of their usual comfort zone with a new writing experience, one they can do together and with a splash of New Orleans flair.
Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry, normally both solo writers in their shared band, who took little input from each other for songwriting responsibilities, are now teaming up in a real way for a first ever co-writing situation.
“The Mountain” was the first song that Ben and I truly wrote together as a team. We had always written the material for our band separately, with only minor input from each other, and this album was sort of our first dive into the co-writing realm,” said Daniel. “We had been talking about writing something with that traditional New Orleans second-line feel, so the idea had been swimming around in my mind for a while. I started hearing the rhythm of the song in my head one day, and the lyrics to the first verse just flowed out. I played it for Ben, and he immediately sang the chorus back to me. We sat down on the floor with our guitars, and I want to say it took maybe an hour to finish the song.”
DeBerry adds, “This is the song that gave us the confidence to write the rest of this record. Our executive producer had requested from the beginning that we co-write the entire album together because we had never done that before. This song was an experiment of sorts to see if we could make it work. Being married to your bandmate can be an emotionally complex situation, and it took us years to figure out how to write a song together without having a complete communication meltdown. When we finished writing “The Mountain”, we knew we had written something special and we felt like we had established a new normal for keep reading…
LIGHTNING 100
DJ pick of the week “The Mountain”
BY LANI FORD
Lani here with my DJ pick of the week from Nashville’s The Danberrys. “The Mountain” is lead single from the Americana outfit’s forthcoming album Shine, due later this year.
“Like a lot of the songs on this album, the lyrics of this song were inspired by some truly dark and character-building life experiences,” singer Dorothy Daniel says.
The song was inspired by New Orleans traditional second-line rhythm and blues. Listen to “The Mountain” below and let us know what you think!
AMERICANA HIGHWAYS
Song Premiere: The Danberrys’ “The Mountain” From Forthcoming Album “Shine”
BY MELISSA CLARKE
Americana Highways brings you this premiere of “The Mountain” from the Danberrys’ forthcoming album Shine. Shine was produced by Marco Giovino and Brian Brinkerhoff, recorded at Dagotown Recorders in Boston, MA, engineered by Sam Margolis and mixed by Gus Berry. “The Mountain” was written by Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry and is Ben DeBerry on guitar and vocals; Dorothy Daniel on vocals and tambourine; Marco Giovino on drums, and percussion, Darrell Scott on guest vocals; Neal Pawley on guitar and background vocals; Duke Levine on guitar; Marty Ballou on electric bass and Sam Margolis on background vocals.
With a powerhouse vocals, and New Orleans’ rhythms, this sultry, smokey new one by the Danberrys is an instant classic. Shine is going to light up your record collection, with its deep grooves and vocals soaring to the skies, achieving atmospheric levels of hope. The groovy rhythmic layers are truly innovative and the lyrics ring with potent gratitude.
"Like a lot of the songs on this album, the lyrics of this song were inspired by some truly dark and character-building life experiences. I’ve really found my spiritual center over the past few years, and this song is an echo of the prayer or meditation that grew within me during that time. Ben and I love that New Orleans second-line feel, and we intentionally wrote this song with that vibe in mind. Serendipity ensured that we had Marco Giovino, a true funk master, producing and playing drums, and we were beyond stoked to get Darrell Scott’s super soulful voice on the track. With the exception of Darrell’s vocals, this song was recorded in one live take, vocals and all, because that’s the way Marco likes to roll. It was a challenging experience to record that way, but we couldn’t be happier with the outcome." — Dorothy Daniel
