Dreams In America

Over the past twenty years, few performers have turned out such consistently mesmerising music as Luka Bloom. His literate songs are invariably imbued with observations of what goes on under the skin of human behavior, and he can turn in a catchy tune too. But for this album, Bloom has pressed the pause button. He’s retreated to his living room to cast an uncharacteristically nostalgic look over his shoulder by re-recording and revitalizing a selection of songs from his illustrious past. Although not intended as a “best of”, Dreams In America contains such gems from his back pages as the plaintive ‘Ciara’, the sublime ‘See You Soon’ and a deliciously delicate version of ‘Black Is the Colour’. The title track has a drone effect that gives it a hypnotic eastern tinge. On ‘The Acoustic Motorbike’ and ‘Bridge of Sorrow’, Bloom slips into the hypnotic folk-rap style he made his own, and with ‘Love Is A Place I Dream Of’ he evokes the pathos of Leonard Cohen. The one new track is a straight version of ‘Lord Franklin’ in honour of Micheál O’Dómhnaill, and there are bonus live tracks, most notably a sparkling ‘Sunny Sailor Boy’. That he scales such emotional heights with just his voice, a guitar and a bagful of heartfelt songs makes Bloom’s achievements even more remarkable.