Customer Reviews

Riverside

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While on vacation with my wife in California, a friend made me a tape of "Riverside". As we drove the coast from Astoria to L.A., I listened to "Riverside" several times. I fell in love with it right off. It never gets old. That was about 8 years ago. Last weekend I was on the road again, and I happened to bring that same tape with me. I listened to it again, and it touched me the way no other music really ever has. Even though I had listened to the tape many times, it was like I really "heard" it for the first time. "This Is For Life" touched me deeply. "Dreams" and "Man Is Alive"..... I can't describe the feelings they invoke. I absolutely "feel" this music. I remember some years back, I was listening to "Dreams In America" and it really affected me. I brought it to some friends house and asked them to listen to it, hoping that they too would feel the emotions and power that I had, but I think they just thought I was crazy. I like this music the most when I am traveling alone through beautiful country like southern utah, or california, or high desert.... buy it and listen and it will touch your life......

"Riverside" is the one album I would take to a desert island and in which I'd NEVER lose interest. It captures/exemplifies one gift of the Irish in both poetry and music: while appearing deceptively simple, a subtle and immensely detailed pattern emerges, leaving one with a range of responses to gorgeous melodies and engaging lyrics. Tracks like "Delirious" and "Over the Moon" provide melodic punch combined with great accustic guitar and joyful lyrics; "Man is Alive" and others provide a depth of sensitivity and intensity which balances the excitement of the earliest tracks. Balance is key, and the affect is practically perfect. People of all tastes will love this cd- and never get sick of it. All in all, this is Luka Bloom's best and most resonant effort thus far.

Despite all the great albums he's released since, this is my absolute favorite, with not a weak track (even "Irishman in Chinatown", a song he won't sing live, is charmingly goofy)....maybe because it was my first encounter with his fantastic talent back in 1990. Some favorite songs are "Dreams in America", "You Couldn't Have Come at a Better Time", "Gone to Pablo", "Over the Moon", "Delirious"....you get the picture! So strong, fervent, deeply felt, sigh.....if you're a Luka fan you HAVE to own this album!

The highlight of Luka Bloom's "Riverside" is his uninhibited and impassioned acoustic guitar playing. "Delirious," "Over The Moon" and "You Couldn't Have Come At A Better Time" are like a wild roller-coaster rides: Bloom yells, yups and chuckles while vigorousley pounding his guitar. On the love ballads (Dreams In America, Gone To Pablo) his gentle treatment of the strings is perfectly suited to the romantic lyrics.

Bloom is also a captivating storyteller. "The Man Is Alive" is bittersweet father-son tale, and the pleading chorus of "This Is For Life" will make the hair on your arms stand on end. There are faint influences of Irish music here: "An Irishman In Chinatown" and "You Couldn't Have Come At A Better Time" are structured around the traditional jig. On "The One," Bloom angrily scolds a fellow (unnamed) Irish musician who lost his life while pursuing his dreams.

Not often enough does talent meet passion. "Riverside" is a notable exception.

I first heard of Luka when I saw him live in 1988... I waited two years for Riverside to be released, and it was well worth the wait. This album sounds a bit more raw than his others- but technical stuff aside, the brilliant lyrics and gorgeous music is just as present. 'Dreams In America' will put you in a trance; it is very hypnotic. 'Delirious' is upbeat, LOTS of fun! (It's even MORE fun when he plays it live!)

this is my fourth Luka album, after 'Turf','Keeper of the Flame', and 'Between the Mountain and the Moon', so I am definitely getting to hear his works out of order...no matter though..as this is a definite early gem. I absolutely love 'Delirious'..it gets me up with a smile in the mornings. The fact is, not many artists can get away (as another reviewer put it) yelping, yawping, (great word) and generally going off into impromptu tangents. It never feels stilted or predictable. Lovely. can't wait to get all of his albums-Amoeba, here I come.

I first heard this CD while I was shopping at Tower Records in London. Being an American, I had never heard of Luka Bloom, but I liked what I heard and bought it. I have bought two of his CDs since then. One of my favorites is "An Irishman in Chinatown." Not only is the music great, but the lyrics are hilarious! This CD is great. I hope he has many more.

Luka Bloom is a lot like Nick Drake in his absolute devotion to folk expression. But where Drake is understated, Bloom just throws his whole body into it. People in this album wait for years, make grand connections, dream impossible dreams. His twelve-string sound is really unique here and well suited to painting a world quite different from our 90's reality. This album has aged quite gracefully.

Luka Bloom's debut CD was what often occurs with a great young artist. It is brash, exuberant, poetic and wildly uneven. It also made me an instant fan when I first heard it (and subsequently saw him perform live) in 1990. He yelps and shouts, coos and whispers, strums his guitar on some songs with a gorgeous sustain and lets his fingers fly on others. It's almost impossible to keep from getting caught up in the spirit.

On the moody and spiritual side are the songs "Dreams In America" and "The Man is Alive." Both of these feature introspective lyrics that Bloom sings in his Irish-husky and rich voice. "The Man is Alive" is a father and son reminisce (and seems to be the source of the album's title), coaxing a loving tribute from Bloom. There's also the cautionary "The One," which takes a look at where those that head to the edge may find themselves.

On the exuberant side is the lead track, "Delirious." This ode to puppy-love excitement is what first attracted my attention, and almost 20 years later it still packs a thrill. There is also the concert favorite "You Couldn't Have Come at a Better Time," which is pure folk singalong. He does over-reach with the dream-song "A Irishman In Chinatown," which has not aged as well, but still is funny.

Bloom improved on almost every release after this and is still a knockout performer. (I saw him recently on his Innocence tour and he still had the joy of performing.) While my personal favorite remains Turf, you can still find all of his albums online and could pick almost any to start from.

Some albums just capture a mood of a time and place so well, that they take you back there instantly. Riverside is one of those albums and, for me, it takes me back to Isaac's Hostel in Dublin at Christmastime 1992. There, I spent my last hours with a woman I loved during our travels through Europe and who left to head back to America, back to New York. "Dreams in America" played while we ate our last breakfast together, and then I walked her to the bus station. I went back and asked the desk clerk what the album was. And, to this day, Luka still makes me think of my Hudson Lady.

"The only thought that is a saving grace is reunion and passage of time." Bittersweet doesn't begin to describe it.