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Album reviews Music

>>> Album of the week: Luka

Someday scientists will be able to explain why some singers’ voices possess that supernatural ability to send a chill down our spines without resorting to multi-octave vocal acrobatics or exaggerated emoting. Toronto singer/songwriter Luke Kuplowsky’s gentle croon is a prime example of that gift. He conveys the overwhelming intensity of love even when he switches to deadpan talk-singing.

That latter approach is similar to how Leonard Cohen, Jonathan Richman or Lou Reed can pack a surprising amount of emotion into spoken lines. But it’s his deceptively fragile singing that gives his songs their power, employing a unique tone somewhere between Arthur Russell and Roy Orbison.

The songs are built around acoustic guitar, with subtle percussion by Evan Cartwright, electric guitar accents by long-time collaborator Stephen Prickett and doo-wop-influenced backing vocals by Ada Dahli and Julie Arsenault. The lyrics dwell on heartbreak, longing and loss, but Kuplowsky often slips in dry wit and restrained playfulness. The bird and cat sound effects on Always The Same Bed suggest Kuplowsky’s poking fun at himself for being so morose. 

You get the sense that the self-aware musician is painfully conscious of how close he comes to being corny, and that tension is a huge part of his charm. His ability to paint vivid pictures out of mundane details sucks you in, and his introverted delivery sells the authenticity of the complicated feelings he’s tackling.   

Top track: Never Write About The Women You Love

Luka plays the Burdock on Tuesday (July 26). See listing.

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