Dan Berridge is feeling hopeful.

“There’s almost a little mantra throughout the album that things will be all right, that things will work out.” Dan Berridge is a man who’s been through testing times, someone who knows the value of hope. He’s talking about The Vessel, his second album of what he describes as “lush sounding, intense, emotive songs”, the follow-up to his 2001 debut, Compassion, written while he was suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

“It’s a lot more focused than the first album,” he says of the new LP which uses less samples and more live musicians. He also, crucially, collaborated with Richard Palmer, a singer gifted with suitably delicate and bruised vocals. “One of the reasons I first started working with Richard was to have a focus, because I’ve always had dozens of ideas going on in each track. So I’ve tried to use vocals to pin them down.”

The pair met though a mutual friend and immediately hit it off. “Some of the trials we’ve been through in life are quite similar, so we had a bit of a bond going,” explains Dan. “Both of us have had rough times and we wanted to get that across through the music. Not the pain but the hope.”

Geographically separated - Dan lives in Bristol, Richard in Nottingham - the pair sent each other CDs and ideas though the post. This suited Dan’s way of working: “I ended up using a lot of Richard’s vocals in the way I’d treat a sample, piecing stuff together from what he sent me.”

The result is an uplifting album of widescreen proportions, underpinning jazzy, orchestral instrumentation with dirty beats and classic songwriting. “It’s a very English album, and a lot of it was written out in the countryside,” he says, thinking about what influenced the sound. “A lot of it was inspired by English mythology.”

Dan is already working on his third album and plans to start playing live. “I want to work with jazz musicians who can work within a structure and improvise on it. Hopefully it will take on a life of its own.” But in the meantime, there’s The Vessel to enjoy. “I don’t think it’s music for wallowing in. Hopefully, it should inspire some kind of happiness and hope.” So be inspired. Matt Walton 01 Aug 03

Broadway Project – The Vessel, released 04 August 03 on Memphis Industries.

useful link: www.broadwayproject.co.uk