Luka Bloom
Let’s start at the end, with “Don’t Be Afraid of the Light That Shines Within You”, a prayer of a song so glorious that it is required to conclude a record. It opens with piano drizzling on the trademark electro-acoustic strum of veteran singer-songwriter and presumptive Suzanne Vega/James Joyce fan Luka Bloom (real name: Barry Moore). But as layers build a gliding string section, a glistening choir the heavens open for a spectacular, cleansing sun shower.
In short: goosebumpy. In Emerald-speak: the hypnotic pulse of U2’s “Bad” (which Bloom has previously covered) with a skittering, folk-jazzy Astral Weeks undercurrent, and the kind of rich vocals over top that you could imagine sparking a young Damien Rice. Plus, among the contributing players are ex-members of Hothouse Flowers and the Frames. In other words, the song is just Sinead O’Connor and Feargal Sharkey cameos away from being a near-perfect encapsulation of the last 40 years of non-trad Irish music.
But don’t misunderstand. No one is hanging the derivative tag on Bloom. As much as anybody operating in the guy-with-guitar world, he’s always carved his own path (which, at one memorable point, left-turned him to a cover of LL Cool J’s “I Need Love”). “Don’t Be Afraid Of The Light That Shines Within You” just feels so expansive that there’s plenty of room for echoes.
Nor is this to say that the previous Ten Songs are merely steppingstones for this finale, as grand as it might be. “There Is A Time” (with Bloom holding court on Spanish guitar), the pedal-steel-blessed country number “I’m On Your Side”, and the appropriately chugging “Eastbound Train” all stand out. Others, such as the restrained trio of “I Hear Her, Like Lorelei”, “See You Soon” and “Everyman”, fall and rise in stock depending on whether you’re heading out in search of a Saturday night or waking up carefully on a headache Sunday morning.
Still, when Luka In Bloom: His Greatest Hits is someday assembled, look for “Don’t Be Afraid Of The Light That Shines Within You” in the spotlight position.