Customer Reviews

Innocence

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4 star:		(1)
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I saw Luka Bloom last night in Seattle and bought the CD at the show. The show was fantastic and the CD hasn't stopped playing since. One of the best singer-songwriters of our day. Beautiful guitar and melodies.

I have been listening to Luka Bloom for years, have seen him in concert only once. I love this CD, he is always surprising yet still "himself" - love these songs, he just keeps getting better and better!

Luka Bloom's new CD Innocence has been getting a work out in my iTunes the past couple weeks. I'm listening to it right this minute, as a matter of fact. And the more I listen to it, the more I love it. The new CD is understated, and quiet in places to the point where you might almost miss the power that is there in the lyrics, guitar and Bloom's rich voice. He says of the new record: "The whole story of this album is interesting and different. Life is an endless stream of challenges, and for this singer, the most important ingredient to hang on to is our innocence and wonder at the world". That sense of wonder is on display all over this album, with songs about such simple joys as the coming of Spring, a young girl's trip to the beach with her parents, the power of forgiveness and summer sunshine.

On Innocence, he moves effortlessly from songs that display the sense of humor that is often seen in a Luka Bloom penned lyric (Doing The Best I Can), to a simple, beautiful instrumental (Peace On Earth), to a really haunting version of his well known famine immigration ballad City Of Chicago. He tells a story of modern immigration into Ireland in No Matter Where You Go, There You Are. No stranger to political statements, he takes on The Iraq War in the beautiful I Am Not At War. No stranger to the music of the big world, he won't allow himself to be pigeoned-holed into an "Irish" sound. Listen to Gypsy Music and Venus and you'll see what I mean. And Bloom's song June reminds me of Van Morrison's classic Sweet Thing, and that can't be bad. This is one of those too rare records, for me anyway, that doesn't have a weak spot on it.

In short: More moving with every album he makes... There's an unrivalled tenderness to Luka Bloom's enchanting, earnest songwriting - his musical and lyrical delivery possesses that special charm. Deft, delicate touch on the six-string and distinguishable Irish lilt in his honeyed vocals draws you in immediately with the heartfelt opener Primavera, from which the ensuing mood is set.

The charm continues in the impassioned tale of a Muslim carpenter (No Matter Where You Go, There You Are), an emotion-charged message for parents in Thank You For Bringing Me Here and the spirited title track Innocence. Then, of course, there's a gentle dose of mellow instrumental (Peace On Earth) to complete the package.

Bloom seems to always manage a sense of freshness with anything he puts his mind, voice and hand to and Innocence beautifully captures the emotions of these purposeful messages by a master of his game.

Scott Podmre

INNOCENCE is a great low-key album, one of the best of 2006. While lacking any up-tempo dance-and-sing-along numbers like "Perfect Groove" and "Rainbow Day" from his superb BETWEEEN THE MOUNTAIN AND THE MOON album (2002), INNOCENCE is utterly fantastic, with the much-needed theme of peace, love, forgiveness and, yes, innocence. It's forgiveness that's the "Miracle Cure." The song "Innocence" is about a child's innocent religious faith, and an insight into Irish Catholicism.

Luka sings that "I am not at war with anyone," a great closing song for a lovely set of songs that restores, at least temporarily, the listener's faith in the potential of human beings to follow a higher spiritual path. Let us each do what we can in 2007 to bring about a world of peace, rather than what is a tragicomic oxymoron, a "religious war."

PEACE, SHALOM, SALAM, NAMASTHE

After ten albums, you would expect Luka Bloom to be a proficient crafter of Irish-influenced folk. And "Innocence" is a well-crafted album: it's got flowing melodic lines, well written lyrics, and a soft, whispered vocal delivery that's perfect for the material. However, the songs (and instrumentation) just aren't distinctive enough to rise above mood music. This isn't to say that "Innocence" is totally generic- the flamenco guitar and jazz saxophone lines in some of the songs are creative and haunting. But the punch and spirit that Luka Bloom has shown he's capable of just aren't there.

Luka Bloom is a rare thing indeed; a singer-songwriter that seems to improve with age. This is his tenth CD, and you would never guess that the first one on Reprise came out in 1990 ("Riverside"). "Innocence" is still fresh sounding and vital, with Bloom giving voice to emotions and characters in the grand folk-singer tradition.

Never one to shy away from a political topic, "Innocence" bears down hard with "I Am Not At War." He sweetly sings a line like "I don't need to be friends with everyone. I'd just like to live in peace with everyone," completely blowing off the fluffy notion of unity for a more pragmatic (and hence, realistic) vision. That sentiment is reflected in "No Matter Where You Go, There You Are" (despite the unwieldy title). The narrative of Mohammed, a Muslim refugee who flees Algeria rather than join the army then eventually finds spiritual peace in an Irishman's music, junks the stereotypes about Muslims with ease. It teaches a valuable lesson without leaving a preachy taste in your mouth.

Still, Bloom is an Irishman, and we Irish are an emotional lot. The title song and "Thank You For Bringing Me Here" address the heart with grace. Meanwhile, "Miracle Cure" casts a darker light on the same topic, while still asking forgiveness. Bloom covers all the bases here, and not a single song is a cast-off. I was lucky enough to see him touring behind this CD at World Cafe in Philadelphia, and you could feel the emotions welling in the room. He is a stunning performer, and "Innocence" is possibly his finest hour of music.