Latest CD releases reviewed

LUKA BLOOM
Before Sleep Comes Big Sky Records
****

Luka's been chillin'. This nine-song collection is a distillation of life chez Bloom in recent times; if he's not careful, he'll have every stray in search of peace of mind flocking to his doorstep.Rarely does quietude translate so powerfully on record, and rarer still is the bottling of an artist's personal happiness as successful as this beautifully somnambulant album. Swapping his trademark frenetic playing style for the forensic demands of a spanish guitar, Luka fuels this gentle mix of original and traditional tunes (including a finely understated reading of The Water Is Wide and an even finer snapshot of the twilight zone that is the title track) with minimum intervention beyond strings and larynx. One for the witching hour.

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Siobhán Long