Irish singer/songwriter Luka Bloom's latest release Tribe is a perfect driving disc. Not the driving, head-bobbing kind—but the nice, overcast drive through the hill country kind. Melodic and thoughtful, Tribe is a new foray for Bloom.
Known for his wry wit and a penchant for quirky cover tunes such as ABBA's "Dancing Queen," Bob Marley's "Natural Mystic," and LL Cool J's "I Need Love," Bloom's Tribe has nary a sideways glance save for "Homeless." This track, in a spoken-word style and with one well-placed expletive, gives us a taste of the inner workings of Bloom's mind. Funny and poignant, "Homeless" has some memorable lines like "…his carbon dioxide emissions are pretty much zero…this homeless man in Hollywood is a model urban citizen."
Homeless aside, the rest of the disc is full of reflective tunes where Bloom's lyrical abilities shine. Normally a one-man music machine (writing lyrics, composing, and playing), Bloom shares credit for Tribe with producer and co-writer Simon O'Reilly.
In 2005, Bloom was sent a copy of O'Reilly's instrumental release Tidelines. He recalls: "It [was] a lovely record, but I immediately was intrigued with the possibility that Simon and I might do some work together … we hit it off. So over the next months Simon created music and sounds, and posted them to me to my home in Kildare. Not once did we sit and play together. I listened to Simon's sounds and created lyrics and vocal melodies based on his music." This long-distance relationship worked, and the resulting release has an understated beauty in its sparse compositions and moody ambiance.
Bloom explains that the inspiration for the disc and especially the title track comes from the Dalai Lama quote, "I hope that you at this moment will think of yourself as a human being rather than as an American, Asian, European, African, or member of any particular country. These loyalties are secondary. If you and I find common ground as human beings, we will communicate on a basic level." This theme sets the tone for the rest of Tribe —including track 2, "Sound," a plaintive track conjuring up chilly winter days walking through a leafless garden.
"I am a River" pays homage to Bloom's native Ireland and "Lebanon" is beautiful in its simplicity, a harmonious balance of vocals and instrumentation with a message of hope in a country that's had its share of strife. "Change" is the hidden gem on the disc, showcasing Bloom's talent for lyrical phrasing. "Peace Rains" is dreamy as his voice lilts and lulls us into a state of aural bliss. The disc is rounded out with two tasteful instrumentals with Celtic flair.
Overall, Tribe is a little melancholy but has an underlying feeling of optimism and seems like a moment of clarity for the maturing Bloom.
Tribe never really gets out of third gear, but sometimes that's all you need for a nice drive through the countryside.
Stacy Towar-Fogarty is an on-air personality and music director for a popular radio station in the heart of the Colorado Rockies.
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