Innocence seems like a strange title for Luka Bloom?s tenth studio album. However, Innocence is an album that could easily be mistaken as an accomplished debut. Bloom's lyrics are so insightful and fresh that you'd be forg... more »iven for mistaking him as a young and disillusioned twenty-something, instead of a 50 year old who has been making music for 36 years. Musically, Innocence is just as simple and static. There's an unrivalled tenderness to Luka Bloom's enchanting, earnest songwriting - his musical and lyrical delivery possesses that special charm. His 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. And of course, there's a gentle dose of mellow instrumentals on Innocence to round out the album. The US version contains two exclusive bonus tracks that are not on the UK version ? ?Doing The Best I Can? and ?I Am Not At War.! ? 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.« less
Innocence seems like a strange title for Luka Bloom?s tenth studio album. However, Innocence is an album that could easily be mistaken as an accomplished debut. Bloom's lyrics are so insightful and fresh that you'd be forgiven for mistaking him as a young and disillusioned twenty-something, instead of a 50 year old who has been making music for 36 years. Musically, Innocence is just as simple and static. There's an unrivalled tenderness to Luka Bloom's enchanting, earnest songwriting - his musical and lyrical delivery possesses that special charm. His 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. And of course, there's a gentle dose of mellow instrumentals on Innocence to round out the album. The US version contains two exclusive bonus tracks that are not on the UK version ? ?Doing The Best I Can? and ?I Am Not At War.! ? 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.
"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."
Just gets better
RW | NJ | 06/15/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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!"
Full of Wonder, and Wonderful
Daniel Regan | Kansas City, MO United States | 05/26/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."
A beautiful vision of peace
R. Hutchinson | a world ruled by fossil fuels and fossil minds | 01/09/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."