Luka Bloom

Dreams in America, BigSky Record, ****

Pressing the pause button is not, by his own admission, something Luka Bloom normally does, and this retrospective, 20 years after his breakthrough (

Riverside

), is no sepia-tinted collection. Its broad sweep offers snapshots of Bloom's music in all its varied shades.

His trademark propulsive guitar still distinguishes Bloom on the title track and

The Acoustic Motorbike

, but it's the more subtle string picking that stands out, acting as a foil to a genteel cover of Lord Franklin and on the beautifully restrained See You Soon.

A closing trio of songs, recorded with members of the National Concert Orchestra, is a revelation though.

I Hear Her, Like Lorelei

takes on an entirely new hue, understated yet insinuating. Somehow the space between the notes has become just as important as the notes themselves. See lukabloom.com

Download tracks: I Hear Her, Like Lorelei, Lord Franklin