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Adversity can sometimes lead to great changes and personal growth.
Before Sleep Comes is definitely such a case. Luka Bloom
was having a bout of severe tendonitis and couldn't play his normal
steel string acoustics. So, being the ingenious Irishman that
he is, he picked up his nylon string and started playing away,
delving into the soft sounds that are inherent to that instrument.
Upon realizing how much fun he was having exploring this tender,
quieter style of songs, he decided he would gift the public with
a record of the songs. Over the course of a few cold and windy
nights, Luka sat at Old Mill Studios and set the tunes to tape,
just him and his nylon string guitar. Thus was born Before
Sleep Comes.
As one would imagine, these songs are pure beauty. From the
arrangement of the traditional "The Water Is Wide"
to the Bloom penned title track, each of these songs is as perfect
falling asleep music as any that has ever been found on recorded
media. The tunes are soft and slow, with just a hint of sadness
- the type of sadness that lulls one softly into the blessed
arms of sleep. "Before Sleep Comes" is every ounce
a Luka Bloom song, with his clear baritone voice dancing smoothly
over soft fingerpicked arpeggios. Luka's adaptation of the venerable
"She Moved Through The Fair" is resplendent in its
simple beauty. The song is crisply picked melodies over a low
drone and distant background of birds singing. "Camomile"
may well be the newest addition to the necessary lullabies that
every parent and lover should know. The traditional "Nora"
is simply beautiful in this arrangement, and the oft-sung "The
Water Is Wide" is in the running for finest variation of
all time.
But this album would not be complete without the closing track
"She Sings Her Songs With Open Eyes". It is a deeply
resonant track, filled with the imagery and passion that only
Luka Bloom can bring to recordings. It is a joy to listen to…
if one can stay awake long enough to claim the prize.
-David DeVoe
Track Listing:
1. My Singing Bird
2. Before Sleep Comes
3. She Moved Through The Fair
4. I'll Walk Beside you
5. Camomile
6. Be Still Now
7. Nora
8. The Water Is Wide
9. She Sings Her Songs With Open Eyes
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