Critic's Review
Evan Cater, All Music Guide
Luka Bloom's fans are often shocked to learn that Riverside (1990) was not the singer's first published album. As soon as they learn that Bloom released three prior albums under his given name, Barry Moore, they begin clambering for reissued editions of those out-of-print albums. But it wasn't until Bloom launched his official website in 2001 that the singer finally relented by releasing The Barry Moore Years, a 15-track remastered collection of early songs. This set focuses heavily on the two Barry Moore albums recorded before a severe case of tendinitis forced the young guitarist to abandon his strenuously intricate fingerpicking style in favor of the slashing strumming technique that defined the Luka Bloom sound. There are six tracks here from The Treaty Stone (1978) and five from In Groningen (1980), but only two from No Heroes (1982) and two from the aborted eponymous Luka Bloom (1986), which were released after an injury-induced two-year layoff. The top-heavy balance between the two periods is awkward, but it's hard to disagree with the suggestion that the first two albums are stronger. It's clear from the first 11 tracks that the young Barry Moore had already surpassed his more famous older brother Christy Moore as a guitarist. The complicated fretwork and soft moody vocals on these tracks seem more influenced by artier British and American folk musicians like Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell than by traditional Irish folkies like Christy. The final four tracks reveal an artist in transition, as Bloom experiments with strumming and flatpicking in a concerted effort to reinvent himself. Ultimately, however, the injury proved to be a blessing in disguise because it drove Bloom to the unique style that brought him international acclaim in the early '90s.
