Luka

i bought this cd the on june 10 2003 and listened to it for a year straight i lstened to it everyday before work after work and sometimes during work at a convenience store i worked overnights i got lots of compliments from cutomer swho had never heard of Sarah Brightman before it is still one of my favorites of hers.

I bought this four years ago when it was first released and didn't like it. I only listened to it once back then - I think I was expecting another Eden or La Luna. I put this cd in my player last month and fell in love with it. This is my favorite Sarah Brightman cd. I actually love it more than Eden and La Luna (both were extremely good). I own all of her cds, but this one is her best. My favorite tracks are 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 13 and 14. Sarah's voice is so beautiful - she's extremely talented. I'm going to add the DVD to my wish list.

A voice so pure, effortless and flawless. What a gift - this voice.

Brightman turns every song into a seductive love song. She could gargle mouthwash and seduce me. Definitely a CD for cosmopolitan lovers.

First of all, I'm a huge Sarah Brightman fan. I have if not all but most of her CD's but I have to say with all honesty that this is her worst offering. I mean its downright terrible. Very disappointed and will be giving it away.

I'm not a fan of this type of music but I really like Sarah. She has a very sexy and beautiful voice and a beautiful look. My parents play her all the time and I became a fan and own most oif her stuff.

La Luna was one of the best follow-up albums ever because it was different. It maintained one pf the classical moods and this made it her best album ever.

But unfourtanately things don't last forever. I haven't heard the new album but I really just can't get into this album very much.

Take a look at the cover art. The beautiful sunrise, the cool looking title, and the very beautiful Sarah standing amongst the sunrise. Catches the eye, doesn't it?

The album itself isn't. The album starts off with her weakest opener yet, Harem. It starts off good, but then gets into a monotone techno beat that sounds like something that might be good for elevator music. Then What a Wonderful World is a cover, and it sounds awful!!!!!! What was in Sarah's mind?? The next 4 tracks are not bad, but then Arabian Nights is the most boring song she's ever released. The multiple languages thing is cool, but come on, the meaning of the song- if there is any, that is- is complete BS. Plus usally Sarah's albums have an amazing last track, while this one is a joke.

I can't wait to hear Symphony-- My aunt bought it today when we were at the mnall and I will post a review, so keep your eyes open.

So overall, this album is not bad at all, but a big dissapointment, and is very rushed. Harem? More like Scare-'em.

I first heard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1 “Jeremiah” played in Seattle in 2005. It was an unforgettable experience. At times this music has such power that is sends Goosebumps down your arms and legs. Then there are times when the music become almost transcendental is its lyricism. The three movements are 1. Prophecy: the prophet speaks his solemn message, 2. Profanation: he is mocked by the people, and 3. Lamentation: a lament for the fallen city. The firs movement starts with a horn call which states the thematic material. From there the movement build to a earth shaking climax before fading until only the low strings remain holding a long foreboding note. The second movement is the scherzo. If this movement doesn’t make you want to move nothing will. Pulsing almost jazz like motor rhythms propel this movement to an explosive finish. Bernstein was always a great orchestrater. (At the end of the second movement he even asks the timpanist to strike the drum with a maraca!) The beautiful last move is a lamentation that uses a mezzo-soprano. The Hebrew text is from the Book of Lamentations, Chapter 1, verses 1-4; Chapter 4, verses 14-15; and Chapter 5, verses 20-21. Here is the English text:

How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she
become as a widow! She that was great among the nations, and
princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!

She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks:
among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends
have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.

Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because
of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no
rest: all her prosecutors overtook her between the straits.

Jerusalem hath grievously sinned . . .

They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have
polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their
garments. They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart,
depart, touch not . . .

Wherefore doest thou forget us fore ever, and forsake us so
long time? Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord . . .


Although no CD can replicate the experience of hearing this piece live, this is the best recording available of Berstins first two symphonies. There is no excuse for not owning this CD.

I love this CD by Sarah Brightman. I also like her new one - Symphony.
The best song is Harem on this CD. It's very moving. DVD features this song in 2 different ways. It's not a DVD of her concert, just mostly 1 song, and how they were making it.
I wish you could buy a DVD of her concert based on this CD.

Sarah Brightman has developed her talent for singing in a grand way. Her video performance is equally great.

She will never probably have any idea how many nights she has sung me to sleep ;).

I look for a performance and a live concert to come near me soon.

I would like to see her, however, embrace the more artistic and less of the skimpy clothing side.

There is a delicate line between flash, art, and trash, and some footage and photos of her cross the line with me.

Nude and semi-nude do not mix with song and expression. Sorry, dear, my beloved Sarah, but I am only in this for your singing talent, not to be made to long for your bod in my arms.

Keep it cleaner. Skimpy or revealing clothing, photos, and videos does not enhance your talent.

This is by far my favorite Sarah Brightman Cd. Although it is probably her most pop oriented cd, it totally rocks! Most of the songs have a Middle Eastern Edge to them and are awesome to blast in the car! Make sure to try to get the version with either the bonus Dvd or the french tracks!

FIVE STARS!

I agree with "music fan" about this CD. Eden is a good album, and she's a good artist. But either this album was poorly produced or something, because this does not show her best. I wouldn't classify this as world music at all, because the instruments aren't used and it's more classical pop; if that's a genre. It seemed rambly to me with many of the songs sounding similar and lacking originality. I love her, she's unique in her genre. But she really shines as a classicist, with Classics, her work by Andrew Lloyd Webber (who she married) and operatic albums. This is what she's best at, so her collaborations on Eden and La Luna, which are classical in nature but still allowed her to branch out musically, turned out good. I have a lot of her albums, but I wouldn't buy this one. It's more something to listen to once. A few of the songs are good, the album isn't terrible, but it's not very good.

This is a very good CD/DVD set, beautiful music and performance.I enjoyed it.

This collection of Christmas music strives for authenticity in performance, right down to Old French pronunciation in "Il est né le divin enfant." The carols are of varying antiquity and presented, not in order of age, but in an order that makes for an enjoyable listening experience, by contrast. There is precision in singing, use of period instruments, and presentation in original languages. It all adds up to excellence. Further, it brings joy and delight to the receptive ear.

Another reviewer said there wasn't any joy in these performances, and I say, "Humbug!" As beauty is in the eye of the beholder, joy is in the ear of the listener, and I couldn't receive this music without being transported to bliss.

As to the first track ("Veni, Veni Emmanuel") and audibility issues many have complained about, it's apparent that the a capella singing gets louder and louder as the chant progresses and we, the listeners, are being given the experience of sitting in a large cathedral as the choristers make their processional from the distant back of the nave up the center aisle and into the choir stalls in the chancel. That's why the music is barely audible at first and gets gradually louder, until it has full of volume. It's also why it's the very first track -- the choristers are processing in to begin the concert.

Hearing "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht" performed using its original tune and what is held to be and very likely is the original guitar accompaniment from 1818 was a revelation -- I no longer sing the "improved" version of the tune that has become universal. It has the character of a Tyrolean folk song, light, joyous, reverent, and close to the hearts of the people singing and hearing it in that small Alpine church.

In fact, what's great about this album is that each carol conveys its original joy. The experience is enhanced by the welcome notes in the accompanying booklet that tell you about the history and background of each carol, the particulars of the version being performed, and more.

This CD is like a box of See's chocolates for the ear. The Taverner Consort, Singers and Players eventually came out with a second volume ("The Carol Album 2") and that's definitely worth having, too.

CD sounds divine. If you want this album, thought you might like to know iTunes has it available for download for $9.99. I just mention that since most sellers are treating it like a hard-to-get collector's item, and charging some startling prices even for used copies.

Not only is this my own favourite, but so many friends have fallen in love with it hearing me playing it over the Christmas season, that I have frequently bought it as a (much appreciated!) Christmas gift. A wonderfully diverse mix of earlier Christmas music, performed with freshness and vigour. If I could only have one album of Christmas music in my collection, this would be it. (Messiah doesn't really count does it? It's not officially Christmas music!!)

If this very stylish album does not have something that will please you, you are just too hard to please. With carols spanning seven centuries, in French, German, and English, from the old world and the new, this is a comprehensive survey of the Christmas carol.

The performances are not arranged chronologically, but rather in contrasting and complimentary order, alternating unaccompanied with accompanied, vocal with instrumental. Both the vocal and instrumental ensembles have a range of styles and sonorities. Compare, for example, the brash open sound of "The Babe of Bethlehem" and "Glory to God on High" with the restrained pure sound of "This endere nyghth" or the full sound of "Christum wir sollen loben schon."

The booklet contains notes and texts as well as a list of players, but do not identify the various soloists.

If you've never strayed into the Early Music racks, start here! And if you have 30" of Christmas CDs in your collection and half of them are Early Music and traditional, you're still going to love this! No muddy, pretentious, over-orchestrated stuff here. Just period instruments or fresh voices, and some gentle musical jokes. (The little-sung and wonderfully rhythmic "March of the Kings" instrumental starts out barely audible in the distance with the jingle of harness and bells, grows louder, then fades in the distance as though the magi and their magnificent procession had passed on. And "Il est ne', le divin enfant", which mentions the reedy voice of the musette, is played on one.)

The rating on this album pertains more to the collection then the quality of music, which I find very good. But if you are already a Luka fan then you would know that. This collection is a well priced intro to casual fans or those who think they might like Irish singer songwriters. Also a perfect give for fans to get other people to spread his music around. This collection draws from his first three albums which are out of print in America. I think this represents each album well and a suggest this as a good starting place for new fans.

The book is a masterpiece of literature on music, and the music itself are masterpieces

A beautiful collection of music ideal for lovers of Seth's stunning novel - a perfect introduction to classical music .

I purchased the book "An Equal Music" by Vikram Seth, not knowing that there existed a CD that was meant to accompany it. I was about a third of the way through the book, and Vikrams story was so captivating, that I longed to hear the musical pieces that his characters where so passionate about. So I set forth on a quest of my own trying to track down and put together each piece of his repertoire. During my search, I discovered this CD, purchased it, and stopped all reading until its arrival. I slipped it into the disc player, settled in with liner notes in hand, closed my eyes, and found a new appreciation and passion for the classical genre. Exceptional was track 8 of disc 2, "The Lark Ascending" composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams, an absolutely enchanting piece! Not to say that the other tracks are not of equal caliber, they are, just of a different mood.

This compilation is a brilliant companion to the book, yet alone, it stands proudly on its own merits. Bach, Beethoven, Hayden, Schubert, Vivaldi, and of course Williams are all featured on this CD, names all renowned in the world of classical music. The difference between this CD, and say another classical compilation, is that through the inspiration and support of the book, what once one could not identify nor differentiate between in the works of the above, begins to unfold with a keen grasp of each. This assemblage will definitely help you to recognize and feel each composer's unique style.

In the book, the Maggiore Quartet members expose to you, through beautifully interpreted prose, their driving passion behind performing each piece as they become consumed in each note. This caused me to listen intensely not only to each composition, but also to the individual score of each instruments harmonious part. Bringing a deeper connection with not only the characters in this book along with the featured musical selections, but also with the professional musicians themselves whose lives are music.

Mr. Seth should be commended for this creative marriage of fervent fodder. A brilliantly moving novel enhanced and brought to life through this CD. My next stop, an evening out savoring a live performance!

This amazing book MUST be read by any person who is even slightly interested in music. if you have ever been in a string quartet, you will love the way that this book perfectly captures the delicate balance of emotions within such a close kint group. the love story is alternated with lyrical and descriptive passages, often about something of little significance. The book is a rich and heartwrenching story of love, music and loss. absolutely fabulous!

Vikram Seth casts a melacholic spell with his novel. This is the first time I am reading a work of fiction woven around chamber musicians, which leads one to explore the inner workings of their thoughts.
The accompamying CD is truly marvellous. Listen to Iona Brown soar away in Vaughan Williams 'Lark Ascending'. The others are also truly 'equal'.

ABOUT THE ALBUM: Puccini (Tosca) Mirella Freni, soprano (Tosca), Placido Domingo, tenor (Cavaradossi), Samuel Ramey, baritone (Scarpia), Bryn Terfel, baritone (Angelotti)...Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus, Giuseppe Sinopoli, conductor, Recorded at All Saint's Church, Tooting, London, May, 1990, Released as a CD by Deutsche Grammophon, 1992

This Tosca, released in 1992, is a "veteran singer's Tosca". Placido Domingo has sung the role of Mario Cavaradossi more times than any other tenor before him, and made it almost entirely his own. His first recorded Cavaradossi is from 1973 under Zubin Mehta and singing opposite Leontyne Price and Sherill Milnes for their RCA recordings in the early 1970's. He made an Italian film for Bartoletti in 1975 shot in Rome with Raina Kabaivanksa and Sherill Milnes and then re-recorded Tosca in 1980 for James Levine with Renata Scotto. Then in the 1980's there was the Metropolitan Opera TV broadcast with Hildegard Behrens and around the time of this 1990 recording he again appeared in a film shot in Rome with Catherine Malfitano (Domingo thought of himself as an opera-to-movie actor-crossover) Each Cavaradossi prior to this one is excellent, particularly the 1980 recording, but gone is the dark coating in his voice and the brilliant squillo. Instead here he sings with more dramatic skill and is now so used to singing Cavaradossi that it seems he can sing it in his sleep. He sings with secure high register and of course he is able to slip into whispers, fortissimi and passionate and heroic outbursts but you can tell that this one is his farewell to Cavaradossi. It's still wonderful, and everything Placido Domingo sings is magic. He is a dramatic tenor who not only looks good but lives each of his roles.

For Mirella Freni, this Tosca found her in her second round. She had recorded what some consider a miraculous Tosca opposite Pavarotti and Sherill Milnes for Decca. She is past her prime in this recording, and it's evident by this point that she had damaged her once beautiful and pure lyric voice so perfect for roles like Micaela in Carmen, Mimi, Violetta, Susanna in Figaro, Juliette and Marguerite in Faust. She took on heavier lyrico spinto and dramatic repertoire like Aida, Tosca, Don Carlos, Madame Butterfly and Manon Lescaut. She was at least wise enough to sing in her native Italian (except when she crossed over to French and then Russian upon marrying bass Nicolai Ghiurov when she sang Tatiana in Eugene Onegin). Her golden instrument was ruined when she took on too many dramatic roles and Tosca was one of them. This one finds Freni at her absolute worst. I don't see why so many operaphiles seem to like this one and the reviews here declare her spectacular. I didnt like what I heard. She sounds tired, pushed, melodramatic in a less natural and more affected way and in her high notes and fortissimi she has a very wobbly vibrato and sharp, unflatering top. She sounds very old too. Her Tosca is purely experimental as were here Aidas. The only successful dramatic role she took on was Madame Butterfly and fortunately for her fans (myself included) she sang it three times on record- with Pavarotti, Domingo (for a film) and with Jose Carreras for Deutsche Grammophon in one of Sinopoli's better recordings. She also did a marvelous Manon Lescaut under Sinopoli opposite Domingo for DG. But Tosca is way out of her league. I wanted to like Freni's Tosca, I really did but she is terrible and didnt satisfy. There are moments, however, which find her doing fantastic things with the voice, such as the rapid slides into chest register in Act 1 and 2, and her purely lyric moments the best example being the Duets with Domingo's Cavaradossi and her Vissi D'Arte is very admired. But her Tosca is shabby and only hardcore fans will enjoy it. I am a Freni fan but I was not thrilled with her Toscas.

Samuel Ramey, too, is out of his league as Scarpia, no matter how many praises he garnered from critics and opera lovers. He did something similar to Freni. His baritone voice has a rich, dark and lyric quality so perfect for bel canto and early Verdi opera, in which he even had a gift for the baritone version of coloratura. He is equally as impressive in the French repertoire like the Devil in Gounod's Faust or in Berlioz' Damnation of Faust as well as the villains in Offenbach's Tales of Hoffman, all of these starring baritone roles. He started his career singing small baritone roles in the 1970's in operas like Massenet's Manon and as Angelotti in the Colin Davis Tosca with Montserrat Caballe and Jose Carreras. He then took on the bigger baritone roles like Don Giovanni and the biggest one of all Scarpia. Unfortunately his Scarpia is lackluster. He puts no real intensity or evil bite into his performance. He sounds the same no matter what he sings, and it's a pity he can't act. I've seen him perform on stage and he just stands there, makes faces, closes his eyes and sings but doesn't act. He became very famous for being an American baritone after the decline of the more famed baritones like Lawrence Tibbett, Robert Merrill, Leonard Warren and Sherill Milnes. His Scarpia is nothing like that of Tito Gobbi, George London, Giuseppe Taddei and many others who produce very monstrous Scarpias. His Scarpia is too refined and lacks passion.

Finally, another flaw in this Tosca is conductor Sinopoli. He has expertly conducted the scores to Puccini's Madame Butterfly and Manon Lescaut. His Tosca with Domingo and Behrens, a live broadcast from the Met, is wonderful, but the quality of his conducting for this Tosca is lousy. Admittedly, he is an old man by this point and it wasn't long before he died of cancer. Still, the pacing is downright plodding and far too slow to be truly exciting or dramatic. It's an expansive, long, and very boring Tosca. The orchestra is loud and it has an epic sweep but even Karajan's Toscas (with Price in '62 and Ricciarelli in '79 who still maintained an epic score, makes it excitingly dramatic and yet lyrical. Sinopoli seems to involved with his own version of Tosca, which he seems to make into some long-winded, clinical verisimo opera. It's so slow and it forces his singers to sing purely for the sake of tone and beauty and not drama. This is Sinopoli at his worst and he makes a Tosca that is too boring and too haunting, rather than being dynamic and dramatic.

Don't make this your first Tosca. If you absolutely must buy this, do it it for Domingo's always perfect Cavaradossi. It's really a shameful Tosca and I consider it the worst ever made. You can never go wrong with Maria Callas' Toscas, Zinka Milanov, Renata Tebaldi, Leontyne Price's Toscas, and Caballe, Scotto, Galina Vishnevskaya, Ricciarelli, Carol Vaness, Jane Eaglen and Angela Gheorghiu. My favorite is Galina Vishnevskaya who takes the crown as far as how to sing with intensity and ferociosness and yet feminine beauty.

This recording can't be described by any words but amazing. Brilliant orchestra of Royal Opera, a powerful conducter Sinopoli, one of the best baritones in the world Ramey, wonderful primadonna Freni and of course the magician of the world's opera stages Placido Domingo. I recommend this recording to all the opera lovers. Even the people who don't enjoy opera would probably be amazed by this wonderful recording when they listen. Buy it, you definately definately won't regret.

Tosca may just be my favorite opera and this recording is the one I listen to over and over again. I never seem to tire of it. All three leads - Freni, Domingo, and Ramey - are fantastic. Ramey especially in his portrayal of Scarpia - he is sexy and frightening. I would highly recommend it.

I heard part of this recording of Tosca over the radio and was so impressed by the performance that I wanted to hear the entire recording. What drew my attention was Samuel Ramey's Scarpia, sung with such charm and menace that makes him a perfect villain. I was more familiar with the Maria Callas recording with Di Stefano from the 1950's but I found the Sinopoli recording very impressive. Callas makes a great strong willed heroine but Mirella Freni comes across, for me, as a woman of extremes; fiery when jealous but easily crushed by the evil intentions of Scarpia. Her performance has many facets and her performance is superb. Ms. Freni shines in the first act as she confronts Cavaradossi with her imagined affair and is defiant and horrified as her lover is tortured by Scarpia. Her singing of Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore was sensitively sung. Placido Domingo makes a fine Cavaradossi and is in great voice giving us a sensitive performance of E lucevan le stelle in the final act and acting every inch the hero as he is tortured in the second. Bryn Terfel makes an excellent Agnelotti, a supporting role that was luxury casting. Samuel Ramey is a perfect Scarpia, charming to Tosca and threatening to his subordinates. The photograph of him in character on the back of the booklet says it all; he is elegant but must be feared.

Giuseppe Sinopoli is very effective in bringing out the many emotions of the score and the Philharmonia Orchestra play marvelously. The recording is bright and clear and the tempos are nicely chosen. I recommend this recording on all points: cast, orchestra and conductor.

I have mixed feelings about this 1991-1992 studio recording. It could have been the greatest Tosca ever made but the timing was bad. By this time Mirella Freni and Placido Domingo were way past their prime and it shows. Conductor Giuseppe Sinopoli, while otherwise a superb exponent of Puccini (as his Madame Butterfly and Manon Lescaut with Freni on Deutsche Grammophone attest) he lacks power and compelling force in this recording. The pacing is in slow-motion and some scenes don't need to be that slow. Another weak link is Samuel Ramey's Scarpia. While he is an excellent singer and has a beautiful, sexy voice, he makes Scarpia too sexy and elegant without any edge or bite. When he proposes his deal to sleep with Tosca in exchange for Cavaradossi's life, I would have accepted because Scarpia doesn't sound nasty or intimidating at all. So while I love Freni in other roles- as Butterfly, Mimi, Micaela in Carmen, Juliette in the Gounod Romeo et Juliette, Manon, Manon Lescaut in the Puccini opera, Queen Elisabeth De Valois in Don Carlos and Desdemona in Otello- she lacks the power and thrill that other singers have given to Tosca. She lacks the fiery intesity of Callas, Birgit Nilsson, Katia Ricciarelli, Galina Vishnevskaya and Leontyne Price. Nor does she have the beauty of Tebaldi or Caballe. Her high register is all over the place, sounds pretty much the same way she did singing Butterfly and is in no way the best Tosca. Despite an attractive cover, and despite Domingo's presence, this recording is not the best Tosca. Search other singers please.

Luka Bloom is a rare thing indeed; a singer-songwriter that seems to improve with age. This is his tenth CD, and you would never guess that the first one on Reprise came out in 1990 ("Riverside"). "Innocence" is still fresh sounding and vital, with Bloom giving voice to emotions and characters in the grand folk-singer tradition.

Never one to shy away from a political topic, "Innocence" bears down hard with "I Am Not At War." He sweetly sings a line like "I don't need to be friends with everyone. I'd just like to live in peace with everyone," completely blowing off the fluffy notion of unity for a more pragmatic (and hence, realistic) vision. That sentiment is reflected in "No Matter Where You Go, There You Are" (despite the unwieldy title). The narrative of Mohammed, a Muslim refugee who flees Algeria rather than join the army then eventually finds spiritual peace in an Irishman's music, junks the stereotypes about Muslims with ease. It teaches a valuable lesson without leaving a preachy taste in your mouth.

Still, Bloom is an Irishman, and we Irish are an emotional lot. The title song and "Thank You For Bringing Me Here" address the heart with grace. Meanwhile, "Miracle Cure" casts a darker light on the same topic, while still asking forgiveness. Bloom covers all the bases here, and not a single song is a cast-off. I was lucky enough to see him touring behind this CD at World Cafe in Philadelphia, and you could feel the emotions welling in the room. He is a stunning performer, and "Innocence" is possibly his finest hour of music.

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."

PEACE, SHALOM, SALAM, NAMASTHE

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!

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.

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.

Some albums just capture a mood of a time and place so well, that they take you back there instantly. Riverside is one of those albums and, for me, it takes me back to Isaac's Hostel in Dublin at Christmastime 1992. There, I spent my last hours with a woman I loved during our travels through Europe and who left to head back to America, back to New York. "Dreams in America" played while we ate our last breakfast together, and then I walked her to the bus station. I went back and asked the desk clerk what the album was. And, to this day, Luka still makes me think of my Hudson Lady.

"The only thought that is a saving grace is reunion and passage of time." Bittersweet doesn't begin to describe it.

this is my fourth Luka album, after 'Turf','Keeper of the Flame', and 'Between the Mountain and the Moon', so I am definitely getting to hear his works out of order...no matter though..as this is a definite early gem. I absolutely love 'Delirious'..it gets me up with a smile in the mornings. The fact is, not many artists can get away (as another reviewer put it) yelping, yawping, (great word) and generally going off into impromptu tangents. It never feels stilted or predictable. Lovely. can't wait to get all of his albums-Amoeba, here I come.

Despite all the great albums he's released since, this is my absolute favorite, with not a weak track (even "Irishman in Chinatown", a song he won't sing live, is charmingly goofy)....maybe because it was my first encounter with his fantastic talent back in 1990. Some favorite songs are "Dreams in America", "You Couldn't Have Come at a Better Time", "Gone to Pablo", "Over the Moon", "Delirious"....you get the picture! So strong, fervent, deeply felt, sigh.....if you're a Luka fan you HAVE to own this album!

While on vacation with my wife in California, a friend made me a tape of "Riverside". As we drove the coast from Astoria to L.A., I listened to "Riverside" several times. I fell in love with it right off. It never gets old. That was about 8 years ago. Last weekend I was on the road again, and I happened to bring that same tape with me. I listened to it again, and it touched me the way no other music really ever has. Even though I had listened to the tape many times, it was like I really "heard" it for the first time. "This Is For Life" touched me deeply. "Dreams" and "Man Is Alive"..... I can't describe the feelings they invoke. I absolutely "feel" this music. I remember some years back, I was listening to "Dreams In America" and it really affected me. I brought it to some friends house and asked them to listen to it, hoping that they too would feel the emotions and power that I had, but I think they just thought I was crazy. I like this music the most when I am traveling alone through beautiful country like southern utah, or california, or high desert.... buy it and listen and it will touch your life......

The highlight of Luka Bloom's "Riverside" is his uninhibited and impassioned acoustic guitar playing. "Delirious," "Over The Moon" and "You Couldn't Have Come At A Better Time" are like a wild roller-coaster rides: Bloom yells, yups and chuckles while vigorousley pounding his guitar. On the love ballads (Dreams In America, Gone To Pablo) his gentle treatment of the strings is perfectly suited to the romantic lyrics.

Bloom is also a captivating storyteller. "The Man Is Alive" is bittersweet father-son tale, and the pleading chorus of "This Is For Life" will make the hair on your arms stand on end. There are faint influences of Irish music here: "An Irishman In Chinatown" and "You Couldn't Have Come At A Better Time" are structured around the traditional jig. On "The One," Bloom angrily scolds a fellow (unnamed) Irish musician who lost his life while pursuing his dreams.

Not often enough does talent meet passion. "Riverside" is a notable exception.