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Damn, we're glad Cindy Lee is a singer
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This review first appeared in the November/December 1987 issue of A Critique of America.
When Harvey Bodie opened a nightclub on University Avenue in San Diego in the early 1980s, a few miles south of San Diego State University, it quickly became the heart of the local music scene. The Beat Farmers, Mojo Nixon, the Paladins and the Outriders all were regulars there.
As was Cindy Lee Berryhill.
Her debut is an absolute delight of country-tinged rock and folk. While she often played solo at Bodies, for "Who's Gonna Save the World," she's backed by a full band that sometimes intrudes on her music, but usually adds to it.
The best song here is the timeless "Damn, I Wish I Was a Man," a humorous take on the fine life those of us with the Y chromosome lead:
If I was a man
I could be sexy
with a belly like Jack Nicholson.
Berryhill's voice isn't pure or strong; it's high and wavers a lot, almost to the point of breaking. But somehow the charm outweighs the drawbacks. On songs such as "She Had Everything" or "Spe-c-ial Ingredient," her voice works better than what a classically trained singer could ever bring.
Production is by former Chick Corea sideman Steve Kujala, who also contributes several fine solos on recorder.