Luka Bloom - Keeper of the Flame '2000

Tracks list

Tracklist

01. Make Me Feel My Love
02. In Between Days
03. Throw Your Arms Around Me
04. Bad
05. Keeper Of The Flame
06. Urge for Going
07. Wishing On A Star
08. No Surprises
09. Natural Mystic
10. If I Were A Carpenter
11. Dancing Queen (feat. Christy Moore)

Luka Bloom has a well-deserved reputation as one of Ireland's most gifted
singer/songwriters, but he has also ranked among the most gifted cover artists
in contemporary music. Bloom's independently released fifth album, Keeper of the
Flame, is the first to focus exclusively on the singer's remarkable interpretive
skills. Bloom's covers avoid the treacherous pitfalls of unimaginative imitation
on one side and obnoxious desecration on the other. He also demonstrates the
impressive breadth of his musical tastes. Among the featured songwriters are
folk giants Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, rock supergroups U2, Radiohead, and the
Cure, reggae king Bob Marley, and even ABBA. Despite the fact that many of these
songs were written by artists whose outlooks tend to be considerably darker than
Bloom's, Keeper of the Flame is every bit as optimistic, mellow, and romantic as
the singer's self-penned efforts. In some cases, this can be attributed to the
song selection; "In Between Days" has to be one of the cheeriest songs Robert
Smith has ever written, and "Make You Feel My Love" is so gentle and direct that
it's almost hard to believe it was composed by Dylan and not Bloom. Radiohead's
"No Surprises" is the only track that seems awkward in these benevolent
surroundings. Thom Yorke's gorgeous melody works well in the stripped-down
arrangement, but Bloom's sincere reading extracts nearly all of the song's
acidic undertones. Nevertheless, it is the earnest warmth of Bloom's vocals
(gracefully backed with light Celtic instrumentation) that holds this collection
together so beautifully. The Australian edition of Keeper of the Flame includes
a bonus disc with five live tracks - a significant addition since it represents
the first officially sanctioned concert release by an artist with a reputation
for brilliant live performances.



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