All the Way to There (CD - 2001)

Personnel: John Berry (vocals); Mark Spiro (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Jerry Kimbrough, Ric Latina (guitar); Mike Johnson (pedal steel guitar); Larry Franklin (fiddle); John Hall (keyboards); John Pearson (bass); Chris Brown (drums).

Recorded at The Basement, Athens, Georgia and Famous Music, Nashville, Tennessee. Includes liner notes by John Berry.

Personnel: John Berry, Jr. (vocals, guitar); Ric Latina, Jerry Kimbrough (guitar); Mark Spiro (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Larry Franklin (fiddle); John Hall (keyboards); Chris Brown (drums).

Audio Mixer: Bill Decker.

Recording information: Famous Music, Nashville, TN; The Basement, Athens, GA.

ALL THE WAY TO THERE eschews fussy arrangements in favor of simple, solid, though never unimaginative songs. The hit here is obviously "How Much Do You Love Me," a steel guitar-accompanied, sentimental-but-not-cloying tale of parenting in the grand tradition that shows both Berry's range and his sensitivity. Berry's appeal isn't that of the usual hat-wearing '90s country singer. He embodies the tough but tender sensibilities of a certain kind of country artist. George Jones he ain't--what's on offer here is less a panorama of human frailty than a display of moral values, from the power of prayer in "Sanctuary" to the faithfulness displayed in "I Promise You." minimize