Luka Bloom

* * * * (4 Stars)
In short: More moving with every album he makes... There's an unrivalled tenderness to Luka Bloom's enchanting, earnest songwriting - his musical and lyrical delivery possesses that special charm. 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.

The charm continues in the impassioned tale of a Muslim carpenter (No Matter Where You Go, There You Are), an emotion-charged message for parents in Thank You For Bringing Me Here and the spirited title track Innocence. Then, of course, there's a gentle dose of mellow instrumental (Peace On Earth) to complete the package.

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. - Scott Podmre

The artistic imperative ebbs and flows, and there are some who won't be too enamoured with the tidal patterns in Luka Blooms's music these days. Evidently personally content, Luka's music bespeaks of matters spiritual rather than material.

His belly is fired by personal reflection rather than political objection, and it makes for a satisfying gathering. There's a pinprick precision to the lyrical path of Forgiveness, a vulnerable honesty to Salvador and a refreshing bareness to his reworking of City of Chicago, each one buoyed by the most intriguingly minimalist arrangements you'll hear outside of a John Cage concert. Ken Edge’s clarinet and sax, basted by Joe Csibi’s double bass and Pat Collins's gypsy fiddle lines, cosy up inside the music like lifelong bedfellows.

Bloom's tincture of contentment rings true. - Siobhan Long

The younger generation of Irish singer-songwriters have tended to obscure Luka Bloom's place in the firmament. But with this more reflective and introspective album (his 10th), he restores himself to his rightful place in the pantheon of intelligent and passionate songsmiths with his uncanny ability to see the power and meaning in the atoms of daily life.

Apart from the polished glow of a title track that evokes the nostalgia of religious ritual, this is nowhere more obvious than in the deliciously evocative 'Gypsy Song' a track spiced with the sultriness of the Middle East and Eastern Europe or 'No Matter Where You Go, There You Are', which tells the sad tale of an Algerian Muslim carpenter. 'City of Chicago' is a bleak reflection on the famine, while 'Primavera' is a poignant meditation on the ramifications of growing old(er). 'June' is one of the few songs to move up a gear, stirring the senses a la Van Morrison and 'Thank You For Bringing Me Here' is a remarkable love song to parents.

Two instrumentals, the plangent 'Peace on Earth' and the zestful, but sadly brief, 'Larry Redican's Bow' show how Bloom can paint pictures with metal and wood too, and he is well served by the subtle contributions of Pat Collins' expressive fiddle and Mohamed Bouhanna on derbouka. Dominated by a voice more languorous and at ease with itself, Innocence is the less frenetic work of a man growing in maturity and wisdom, but still willing to take the road less travelled. We should take that road with him for a while longer yet. - Jackie Hayden